Karma Chronicles II: Temples Of Gold
by Ringbearingreasergal
Summary: When AVALANCHE discovers Marlene's well-hidden secret, she realizes she has a decision to make that will send their lives spiraling into chaos. Sequel to 'Karma Chronicles I: The Spell'. Chapter 20 has arrived.
1. Preface

**--THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED--**

**Hey everyone, it's Ringbearingreasergal. This is the sequal to 'Karma Chronicles I--The Spell'. The following is a brief 'what's gone on before'. Thank you. I advise reading it though, before this. Just a thought.**

**When we last left off, seven-year-old Marlene had tried to raise Aeris back to life using Materia and a spellbook. It was too much for her and she almost got herself killed, had it not been for Kadaj healing her. ****Yep. She woke up to the SHM very alive in that forest clearing outside of Seventh Heaven. They said Aeris had sent them back about a week before and proudly declared that they were here to help people. She became friends with them as they live in the forest. She hides them from Barret, who lives with her, and Tifa and Cloud. They have no idea that the SHM are alive. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters, or settings. I do not own the lyrics to 'Temples Of Gold' which this story is based off of. I do, however, own the plotline, and any OCs I decide to incorporate.**

**DEDICATION: I dedicate this story to Sean Kinney, a 17-year-old who left a legacy behind at our high school that no one else could. You're a beautiful boy Sean, and I'm going to miss you. I love you and I cry for you and I hope that one day I might see you again in Heaven. In the mean time, this is for you and I can only hope that I do you justice. With much love, Lorie.**

Prologue:

It should be noted, first and foremost, that on the night of December first in Sector Seven's downtown area of Midgar, the air was very still.

There were few passer-bys on the streets at the late hour, but those who did find themselves striding curtly down the slum's sidewalks were solemn and quiet, their footsteps clipping shortly against the concrete.

No cars or vehicles rolled down the streets, leaving a silence too awkward and omniscient for talking, so no one did.

Something, or some_one_ was coming.

They just didn't know what or when.

A black sky billowed over the city—mysterious, bruised, and unhappy. Clouds unseen against the night sky swirled and centered and misted over the dim city.

The atmosphere was tense and constricting, leaving the people with a nervous and distrustful aftertaste of the odds. Every-man-for-himself attitude.

It was all quiet; except for the continuous caw of a single gray crow circling overhead, in harmony with the clouds.

This was a bad, bad night.

There was an almost physical feeling of tension and unease in the stone-cold air. Every living thing outside that night was unbearably alert.

A small child tugged at his mother's coat and whispered a plea to go home. The teenagers didn't dare mention the dread to their friends. The old men and women grew shifty-eyed and braced themselves.

But nearly every head swiveled as headlights glared like suns through the mist and a long, dark-blue travel bus stopped with a squeal and a groan in front of the small booth-like bus station.

With a hiss the door was opened and a looming silhouette stepped into the streets.

A soundless, jagged streak of blue lightening flashed. The bus door shut and the vehicle slowly rolled off, creaking and old.

The people were unable to keep their gaze from the shadow, still shrouded in chilled mist. It stooped down, picked up its small suitcase, and emerged slowly, enjoying its entrance.

The people stared in dull expectation.

And Vincent Valentine chuckled to himself as he strode deliberately through the frozen group.

_It's a good, __**good **__night_, he thought to himself.

And the air was very still.

**XxXxXx**

**Please review.**


	2. Chapter One: Stay

**Well I couldn't just leave you with the preface, now could I? Please enjoy and review!**

Chapter One: Stay

_Tap. Tap. Tap_.

Barret Wallace looked up from his spot on the black leather couch in the living room of the house his little daughter Marlene and him shared next to Seventh Heaven in sector seven, Midgar, and glanced at the clock that hung on the wall across from him. 2:00. Vincent _had_ always been punctual.

He quickly got up and opened their front door, grinning at his old friend as they shook hands firmly.

"Yo stranger—don't _call_ for three months," the big black man chided, inviting him inside.

"Be easier to call with a phone," the man stated. "How is everything?"

Vincent hadn't changed a bit. The tall muscular form was _still_ shrouded in a crimson-red cloak and waist-length black hair that dipped and flowed with a life of its own. His skin was as ivory white as ever, just as his eyes were dark. Everything _about_ Vincent's appearance was intimidating, and for a reason too, but Vincent was quiet. He listened, watched, observed. He waited and learned. Barret admired Vincent's patience. Lord knew it wasn't _his_ strong point.

"We're pretty chill. Got a new job," Barret pointed out, gesturing to the blue-prints scattered over the coffee table. Vincent cocked an eyebrow.

"Architect? It suits you."

"Yeah . . . hey I promised Cloud and Tifa I'd bring you over to Seventh Heaven. I'm sure they've got some things they want to tell you. Do you want to grab some sleep maybe first . . . must've been a helluva ride here . . ."

"We can go now," Vincent replied, his deep, gravelly voice sounding unusually amicable.

"Sounds like a plan." Barret grabbed his coat and opened the door, stepping out into the cold. "So how long are you here for?" He asked.

"Passing through, so Wednesday—most likely," he answered, and they entered Seventh Heaven.

"Vincent . . . hi!" Greeted an expectant Tifa, rushing to them.

"Tifa," he nodded with a faint smile.

"Here, sit down," she offered, gesturing to the bar stools at the counter where she worked. There were only a few customers in the restaurant at the time so Tifa had time. "Can I get you guys anything to eat or drink?" She asked, clasping her hands together.

"Nothing for me," Barret said, hands raised, as he slid into the bar stool and Vincent did the same.

"Coffee," came Vincent's answer. "How much do I owe you?" Tifa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Nothing, as usual." And she smiled. "So, where have you been?" She asked Vincent. His dark eyes flicked to hers.

"Everywhere."

"I'm sure," she agreed, getting Vincent his coffee. "Where are you headed after Midgar?"

"South. Kinoa. Mercenary dispute down there. Thought I'd take the liberty to sup up without a job application."

"Fun," Barret acknowledged, his eyebrows lifted. "Need any help—get Cloud an' me to get down there. He'd like that."

"Done. Where is Cloud anyway?" Vincent asked, craning his head to look for a certain absent blonde.

"He's picking up Marlene from school—he'll be back within a few minutes," Tifa promised.

**XxXxXx**

"Can I help you with anything?" Cloud turned from where he was standing nervously outside of Sector Seven Elementary entrance to see a short, heavy, elderly woman with a frizz of red-orange hair, heavy make-up, and rather intimidating neon-pink cat-eye glasses. Cloud tried to hide his involuntary shudder by casually shrugging. He didn't miss school.

"Just waiting for the bell," he said, wishing she'd go away—he'd already felt out of place trying to park his bike in the parking lot without denting the rows of neutral-colored minivans and pick-up trucks.

"And who are you waiting for?" The weird-lady asked him suspiciously, regarding his layers of black leather and goggles around his neck. This was a first for Cloud—people usually recognized _him_ right away.

". . . Marlene Wallace . . ." he said carefully. That seemed to spark something in her eyes.

"Marlene Wallace—oh I know you! You're that man who saved all the children! A pleasure to meet you! I'm Mrs. Borg, the vice principal here," she chirped, now smiling enthusiastically and sticking a hand plastered with fake nails in his face.

"C-Cloud Strife," he replied, shaking her hand . . . and dropping it as soon as was socially acceptable. A loud shrill of a school bell cut off the awkward conversation.

"Well there's the bell—I've got to dash. Ta ta now!" She waved a few fingers at him in farewell, giggled, and ran off.

"_Great_," Cloud muttered to himself as a horde of children came racing toward him, eager to get to their bus.

Before long he spotted Marlene—before _she_ saw _him_. He stopped and ducked out of sight a minute so he could watch her as she emerged. She looked different, although she wore her dark braids and outfit as usual. Her large eyes darted about every which way. Cautious. Nervous? Something in her eyes left him unsettled. He cleared his throat.

"Marlene!" He called, waving at her. She met his eyes, flashed him a quick, distracted smile, shouldered her plastic yellow backpack uncomfortably, and made her way through the masses to join Cloud at his side. She looked at everything and everyone but him.

Cloud had the obligatory urge to clear his throat again. He didn't.

"So . . . hi," he said, trying to sound cheerful. Marlene's manner did not change.

"Hi."

"Ready to head home?"

"Yeah." Even her answers wee clipped and distanced. Cloud took her small hand, a natural enough gesture, though he felt the girl stiffen ever-so-slightly as he did so, and they maneuvered themselves toward the parking lot.

"So," Cloud started, finding the silence to be awkward. "Vincent's—"

"—here. I know." And her voice was lighter. Cloud furrowed his brow.

"How did _you_ know? He's only been here since last night."

"Someone told me," and a tiny hint of a smile touched on her lips.

**XxXxXx**

"_Loz_," Kadaj whined, "you ate the last of the Sugar Junk!" He accused sadly, folding the empty cereal box. Loz, perched on a boulder, furtively gazed down at a chess board littered with pieces, and glared at his opponent, Yazoo, across from him.

"That's 'cause _Yazoo_ bet me I couldn't down the whole box in less than five minutes." He smiled then and muttered, "heh. Showed _him_."

"You were the one who suggested it," Yazoo replied smoothly, "oh, and checkmate by the way. Don't worry. It'll be fine—we'll just ask Marlene if she can bring more next time she gets out here," he shrugged. Kadaj frowned.

"She's already doing a lot for us—just by keeping us from her friends. We should use discretion when asking for small things."

"She can't hide us forever. Aeris didn't bring us back so we could hide," Yazoo said, stretching and leaving Loz to clean up the game.

"Well we can't go now—obviously," Loz said, "not with Valentine here." Loz shivered. "That man knows _everything_."

"Not yet he doesn't," Kadaj announced firmly. "And we _definitely_ can't go anywhere without talking to Marlene first." The thought of leaving her pained him. He almost wished they _could_ stay. But of course that would only make Marlene's job of hiding them more difficult. Of _course _they couldn't stay.

**XxXxXx**

**Any comments? Suggestions? Constructive criticism? Please drop me a review!**


	3. Chapter Two: Sparring

**So, here's chapter two everybody, I hope you enjoy! Sorry for being a day late . . . I'm going to be updating every Friday unless something big gets in my way. Thanks ya'll for all the reviews (oh, and I've been thinking about it--should I start doing shout-outs? Or continue replying to reviews? Which ever's easier for you!)**

Chapter Two: Sparring

Marlene entered Seventh Heaven with Cloud where she was met with the familiar faces of Vincent, Tifa, and Daddy.

"Hello Vincent," she greeted. She smiled warmly, and caught his eye—immediately wishing she hadn't. He saw something there he shouldn't have—in her eye. Secrets, maybe. She knew her eyes betrayed her.

He arched a brow and understood. Marlene felt desperately exposed as he studied her. She hadn't needed to double-check the mask she put on for Cloud, Tifa, and Daddy. But Vincent . . . well, she should've known better with Vincent. He nodded his return greetings slowly.

He knew something. She knew that he knew. And he knew, that _she _knew, that he knew something. A look like that—the one that only briefly passed between them—told a lot.

Marlene averted her gaze and re-plastered her smile for the rest of the room like nothing had happened. Inside though, she knew she had to plan fast. She had to get to Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. _Before_ Vincent found out.

**XxXxXx**

Vincent glanced at Marlene and knew something was different. She had a secret, he saw. She had changed. They say the eyes are the door to the soul . . . He saw unusual. He saw _extraordinary_. He also saw the well-hidden panic in her eyes as she smiled wider. He'd find out, eventually. He'd find out.

**XxXxXx**

"Marlene—would you help me out and get Vince's room ready while I finish organizing this stuff?" Her father called from the living room as he hunched over the coffee-table in a desperate attempt to tame the mountain of papers lying there.

It was 9:00—late enough to begin to start thinking about preparing the guest room. Barret was a little embarrassed for not remembering to set up the room, but he quickly sluffed off the guilt. He was a _man_—he didn't think about that stuff! That was another good reason for living with a female—even if she _was_ only seven years old. Vincent sat across from him in an armchair reviewing maps and speaking with Barret while Marlene had stowed herself away in her room.

"It'll be fine—" Vincent interjected with that grave voice of his. Barret shook his head.

"Naw s'okay. Marlene can help. Marlene?" He called again.

"Coming," She said, stepping out of her bedroom and reaching into the hall-closet for an armful of bedding. "The guest room's this way," she gestured. Vincent nodded to Barret and followed Marlene down the hall and into a small, pleasantly scented room with golden walls, a single bed, night stand, and chair. Vincent shut the door.

"So how have you been?" He asked her. The words sounded funny coming from his dark, threatening voice.

"Fine. You?" She asked, clipped, as she proceeded to make up the bed with sheets and covers.

"Can't complain. What've you been up to lately?"

"School, Seventh Heaven, normal stuff. You don't normally talk much to me. How long are you staying?" She asked.

"Why—you want me to leave?" He asked.

"No. Never said that." The sheets were successfully laid out.

"You just want me to stay out of your business. That's fine."

"Why should I care? I've got nothing to get into in the first place. I'm seven-years-old."

"Mmhmm. So you've got nothing to hide—have any secrets?"

"Do you?" She challenged.

"I asked you first," he replied. Her eyes were steel and unflinching. She was good. Really good. If only she hadn't underestimated him in the beginning, he might not have thought much of her. "I have secrets. Many. Happy now?"

Vincent didn't have much with him. One of the few personal belongings he carried with him was the first and only framed picture of Lucrecia. He gently took it out and set it on the nightstand. Now the place felt more familiar.

"Who's she?" Marlene asked curiously. He furrowed his brow.

"I'm not telling you!" He exclaimed as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't you _trust_ me?" She asked with all the exaggerated sarcasm the child could muster. It was almost amusing.

"No," he said smoothly.

"How come?" She asked wide-eyed. Innocently. "I'm just a little ki—"

"—No. You're not," Vincent said quickly. Marlene was quiet.

"Your bed's ready," she finally said. "I'd better go to bed too. Daddy doesn't like me staying up on school nights."

And Marlene was gone.

**XxXxXx**

Marlene went to bed that night completely nixing any plans she had to go visit her friends. Vincent was probably going to be watching her closely for the next few days. She had to lie low. She was sure they'd understand. But she missed Kadaj already. And Yazoo and Loz. If Vincent was gone by the 20th, she'd be able to at least spend some real time with them over the holidays. Christmas was coming soon, after all.

That is, if they hadn't been found by them. She was not very appreciative of the fact that Vincent seemed to read her every answer to him and interpret it correctly. He was good. Really good. If only she hadn't underestimated him in the beginning, he might not have thought much of her.

**XxXxXx**

"Where is she? Shouldn't she have been here by now?" Kadaj paced worriedly, moonlight reflecting off of his smooth, ivory face. Yazoo didn't seem as concerned.

"Maybe she couldn't. Maybe Valentine stopped her," he replied. Loz was asleep up against a tree.

"You think he knows already? I hope she's not in trouble . . ."

"I doubt it. She's smart."

"Yeah," Kadaj breathed. He was scared for Marlene. He doubted Yazoo felt the same way Kadaj did about her. Yazoo threw a blanket over his sleeping brother's form and caressed Loz's troubled face.

"What does he dream of?" Kadaj asked his older brother, taking a seat next to him. Yazoo sighed.

"Bad things. They hurt him the most."

"I know." Kadaj hugged Loz's form. "I know."

**XxXxXx**

**I know, it's kinda short--It's not lack of inspiration or anything . . . it's just how I ended up seperating the chapters. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. Chapter Three: Girlfriends

**So here's Chapter Three. Sorry if it, I don't know, creeps you out. It's not to be taken too personally. Don't worry, we're not there yet . . . Or are we?**

Chapter Three: Girlfriends

"Where's Vincent?" Marlene asked sleepily as she padded into her kitchen the next morning, a frosty Tuesday.

"Vince? He left pretty early. 'Round five I'd say," her father replied, downing a mug of black coffee.

"You mean he's gone?" Marlene asked hopefully. Barret rubbed his eyes.

"Well he'll be back—tomorrow morning probably. Told me to tell you _she's a secret_. Whatever that means," he grumbled. Marlene sighed and wondered about the girl in the picture. Vincent didn't seem like the kind of person to _have_ pictures. She must've been special. She wondered . . .

"C'mon. We should get you to school," Barret tugged at her hand.

"Yeah," she said, shaking herself out of her reverie. "School."

**XxXxXx**

Reeve waited until _after_ Marlene's father drove away in his black corvette to approach his little daughter. He had dropped Denzel off a good ten minutes before hand and the brown-haired boy was no impressing his little friends with his skateboard. As Reeve watched him, he himself couldn't help but be impressed as well. 'Cause damn, the kid was pretty good. Now Marlene trodded up the school path warily. Reeve loosened his collar. This might not be pretty.

He'd read once in a parenting book (he'd had to brush up when he adopted Denzel) that "_incorporating personal names often in dialogue made the conversation's environment friendlier_." Well, Reeve would use any method available to help this particular conversation run smoother than expected.

"Uh—hey—Marlene! How are you doing?" He waved as she walked up. Maybe he shouldn't have worn a suit. Maybe he came off as too . . . something.

"Hi Reeve," she said carefully. He plastered a smile onto his face.

"How've you been Marlene?" He asked cheerfully as he bent down to her level.

"Fine. How've you and Denzel been?" She asked, her eyes briefly flicking to the boy.

"Oh we're good. Hey Marlene—what's your friend Cloud been up to lately with your dad and Vincent? Heard he was in town." He tried to sound casual. And failed epically.

"Mister Reeve, why don't you just ask them yourself?" She asked tiredly. Reeve kept up a pitying smile.

"Well Marlene, sometimes grown-ups don't always get along with each other—"

"—I know they don't," Marlene said shortly. "So you and AVALANCHE are arguing. So then why do you even _care_ about how they're doing? You never have before."

Ouch. That one hurt. Reeve winced. He drew a breath.

"Okay Marlene, we've been on rough terms since Denzel went with me—but that doesn't mean I don't care! I mean, if you matter to Denzel, you matter to me." His eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Marlene smirked, but Reeve saw hurt in her seven-year-old eyes.

"You don't _care_ about me! You don't even _know_ me! The only thing you know about me is that my daddy used to do! In fact the only reason why you care about Denzel is because he lived with _your_ mom!" She said, and then added, "and using my name in every sentence isn't going to make us best friends either."

_Damn_ those parenting books.

Marlene rolled her eyes and Reeve noticed the gesture to be a striking resemblance to Tifa as she did so.

A bell trilled from the school building. Marlene sighed. "Talk to you later Mister Reeve."

Reeve's eyes softened. She was right and the fact stung his conscience. He gathered he deserved it for stooping so low as to get information from a child. As he watched her thoughtfully, he thought to himself in realization, _oh my god. I've been owned by a seven-year-old __**girl**_. _Man, I'm losing my edge._

**XxXxXx**

"Marlene, is something wrong?" Ms. Reid asked worried. Her little student hadn't seemed very happy lately. "Are you okay?"

"_Perfect_," she mumbled. Hah. Perfect. Ms. Reid knew better. Afterall, she hadn't gone to a whole three months of that child psychology class for nothing! She took a seat next to the young girl.

"Doesn't look like everything's perfect," she noted. "You holding up okay?"

". . . Well what do you mean?" Marlene was puzzled.

"It must be pretty stressful, living with a SOLDIER. I noticed Cloud Strife still picks you up from school sometimes." Her teacher shrugged.

Marlene tensed up. Cloud had warned her about talking too much about AVALANCHE with 'civilians'. _And only to civilians, _Marlene thought bitterly. She was having a bad day, but still, she thought she was justified. No matter if _she_ had too much information to be held up against for. Just protect the civilians. She hated that word.

"He's not a SOLDIER anymore and he's okay," she replied. A hint of jealousy twinged at Ms. Reid. Okay? _Just okay_? That man was _amazing_!

"And what about Tifa? Are Cloud and Tifa still . . . getting along?" Tifa . . . was . . . _less_ amazing. To Ms. Reid.

"Mostly," Marlene sighed. And Ms. Reid left her alone.

**XxXxXx**

"Hey Marlene—look! Denzel's gonna reenact Cloud kicking Kadaj's butt!" Daniel Piper called to her from across Denzel's Lunch Table where a group of boys were talking excitedly. Marlene's heart raced when she heard the name _Kadaj_, but remembered with relief that no one knew her secret here. Now she rolled her eyes and called.

"Denzel, you weren't even _awake_. You were brainwashed with everyone _else_ here except me." She droned. Nobody paid any attention. They just kept cheering on an almost corny depiction of an all-gallant Cloud, against a girly, hip-swaying Kadaj.

_If only they knew_, Marlene thought to herself, _if only they knew_.

**XxXxXx**

"Marlene—you didn't talk to me at lunch today," Denzel said, skipping up to her after school. Hope blossomed in Marlene. For once. Was he actually taking time out of his day to _talk_ to her?

"I was left speechless after your amazing impression of Cloud," she retorted playfully. "What've you been up to? . . . I miss you . . ."

"Yeah, miss you too. Hey—did I tell you about my new girlfriend?"

Dread plunged into her gut like a rock.

" You have a-_girlfriend_?" Marlene stammered.

She saw it all fading. _She_ was Denzel's best friend. _She _had lived with him throughout the revolution of Gaia. _She_ was supposed to be the most important girl to him. And now she was the last one to know she was being replaced? "Well—who is she?" She swallowed back tears. She was angry. Angry that he couldn't see how flippantly he was treating their friendship. Angry she was just barely able to hold back her tears and angry that he was so clueless.

"Sara. Sara Taing. _She's_ in grade five." He said. "Are . . . are you okay?"

"Yeah," Marlene rubbed at her eyes, unaware of what she was really saying. "In fact, I'm really glad you told me, because . . . 'cause . . . because I've got a _boyfriend_," she challenged. Her eyes widened. _What_ had she just said? Denzel narrowed his eyes and Marlene felt something like satisfaction.

"Really? Who is he? I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"That's 'cause I've been too busy with _him_ to talk to you. He's older than me too," she babbled, "and he drives a motorbike and he knows how to fight." By the time she realized she was describing Kadaj to the 'T', it was too late to take anything back.

"_Seriously_? Sheesh Mar. Just be careful that he's not some crazy pervert," Denzel muttered.

"He is _not_ a pervert!" Huffed Marlene. She'd have to ask Cloud what exactly 'pervert' meant.

"Well, how old is he?" Denzel asked. Marlene shrugged.

"Twenty maybe," she replied. Denzel raised his eyebrows.

"Kidding me?"

". . . No . . ."

"Hmm. Well I guess you'd know if he's a pervert or not . . . I'll talk to you later. I'll tell Sara you said hi." Denzel left.

"I'm sure you will." And the sadness returned.

**XxXxXx**

Kadaj was restless. Bored was one thing when Marlene wasn't around, but this was different. Three weeks of the same scenery and a bigger purpose will make a person want out. He wanted to move. Really move. His head snapped up as he heard something rustle in the bushes.

"Marlene?" He asked hopefully.

"Kadaj!" The girl's figure plowed him into a hug and he was bowled over in surprise and knocked to the ground before wrapping his leather-protected arms around her and squeezing.

"Missed you last night," he grunted from the ground. Marlene loosened her grip on him, looked him in the eye, and smiled.

"Missed you too," she crawled off of him and he sat up. "I couldn't leave—Vincent was watching me."

"Does he know?" Marlene's eyes drooped.

"I don't think so. Not yet. I'm scared he _will_ though. He acts like he can see right through me."

"If he asks, don't get in trouble for us Marlene. Please? We'll be okay," the boy said, looking into her eyes. Marlene smiled sadly and sighed.

'You _are_ trouble," she said softly, flicking a strand of silver hair out of his eyes. "Where's Loz and Yazoo?" She asked. He shrugged.

"They're around. They'll probably come out soon once they hear you're here."

"Actually I have to go. I don't want Tifa to know I'm gone—she's been talking to Vincent."

"Oh. Can you come back tonight?"

"I should be able to. Vincent's gone for the day until tomorrow so I'll see if I can. _Please_ be careful though. AVALANCHE doesn't know you like I do."

"Nobody knows me like you do," Kadaj murmured. Marlene was taken aback.

"Even your brothers?" She asked doubtfully. Kadaj cracked a smile.

"Maybe my brothers." Marlene smiled.

"Tell them I missed them," and she turned to leave, before a nagging question in the back of her mind got the better of her. "Kadaj, have you ever had a girlfriend?" She asked curiously.

"Only you," Kadaj said, puzzled. She smiled, wider, doubting he knew the social connotation of the word and okay with that.

"See you later," she told him.

"Okay," he whispered, "okay."

**XxXxXx**

**I'm going to be posting every Friday people so please make sure to read, review, favorite, whatever! Thank you guys for reviewing by the way. You make my day!**


	5. Chapter Four: Dreams

**Sorry for the late update everyone, things have been a wee bit intense lately and I got to this ASAP. Please enjoy! BTW, if you haven't read 'The Spell', Yazoo has the ability to look into other's dreams. Aeris, in fact, gave them that power for reasons that will be discovered later. Just for, y'know, future references!**

Chapter Four: Dreams

That afternoon, Tifa had to leave Seventh Heaven for a couple of hours, meaning that Marlene was in charge of the whole bar. It was, to some, an inordinate responsibility for a seven-year-old girl, but all their regular customers knew and liked Marlene well—causing her no trouble. Tifa knew that and wouldn't have left Marlene alone otherwise.

Later that evening Tifa came back with Daddy and he took her home.

Then at midnight, when all was quiet, she slid out of bed, out the front door, and crept through the trees.

**XxXxXx**

Within ten minutes of stumbling through the dark, cold woods, she caught a glimpse of Loz's small, flickering campfire. She breathed out, watching steam evaporate from her mouth. She was _freezing_.

"Loz?" She whispered, approaching the fire. A spiked, metallic head turned to her and Loz's dark eyes brightened as he saw her and was at her side in an instant.

"Hi Marlene," he greeted as they reached the camp.

"Hey Loz," she sighed. She was tired too. She got an average of four hours of sleep a night and it was beginning to show.

"Marlene!" Yazoo greeted cheerfully. Kadaj smiled from his seat. "You're cold," Yazoo noted to the shivering child who nodded. Kadaj took a folded gray blanket and wrapped it around her snugly before pulling her into his arms.

"Still?" He asked lightly. She wriggled, giggled, and shook her head. "Good."

"Yazoo," Marlene yawned, "how did the Sugar Junk contest go?" She asked. Loz laughed while Yazoo rolled his eyes.

"I never should have challenged my brother to anything food related. I know that now," was all that Yazoo said.

"I thought so," Marlene smiled softly. She realized she'd never dreamed once she'd grow so attached to Yazoo, Loz, and Kadaj. Never dreamed . . . Loz's sharp head blurred and Marlene caught her drifting head with a gasp and a blink. She was falling asleep!

"What's been happening to your eyes, Marlene?" Yazoo asked, trailing a finger around her lids. It was all Marlene could do to keep them open. "They're dark."

Kadaj's arms around her suddenly stiffened. "Are you . . . _tired_?" His tone was almost incredulous. He had only seen her sleeping once. When she . . . when she'd almost died. A flash of regretful pain caught him by surprise as he remembered.

"Well, only a bit . . ." she murmured. She forced her eyes open. At this rate she'd fall asleep right in the forest. And _that_ would be disastrous.

"We can take you back to your home if you fall asleep," Loz urged, "you should get some rest. Us brothers forget that you have to wake up early in the morning." Yazoo nodded. Marlene's eyes shut gratefully.

I have to be home by the time Daddy gets up tomorrow morning," she murmured as she lay her head on Kadaj's chest and drifted off, "be sure to wake me…" Within moments, she was asleep.

For the next few minutes, the only noise in the night forest was a crackling fire, a whispering twitter of birds, and Marlene's light breathing.

Then Kadaj spoke, carefully quiet as to not wake the girl in his arms.

"We're making her old," he said, tossing a leaf into the fire. Loz was startled.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Look at her face, brothers." Her forehead creased and narrowed in the center. Her lips were poised and worried. Kadaj was right. "She's tired."

"She'll be back to normal tomorrow, won't she?" Loz asked. "Can a person be tired all the time?"

"When they wake up every night to visit a secret from their family—I suppose so. I just wish we wouldn't burden her," Kadaj sighed. Yazoo unexpectedly stood up and crossed over to the sleeping girl. He focused intently on her face and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Oh Yazoo, don't—you know I hate it when—"Loz protested. Yazoo however, cut his brother off.

"Shh. Aeris gave me these powers for a reason, little brother," Yazoo said. He shut his eyes. Melded with Marlene's subconscious. Braced himself.

**XxXxXx**

_"I don't know you," _came a voice._ "I don't __**know**__ you."_

A desert of white and gray sand blew in waves. Cloud stood in the midst, eyes closed, serene as he drowned in it. Eventually, ruins emerged from the sand. Ancient ruins. But they crumbled into dust and Barret Wallace stood there, watching from the side. He held a picture. A framed picture.

_"If destroying the Lifestream is your path,"_ whispered the wind.

_"Marlene? Marlene listen to me if you won't listen to anyone else. There's danger ahead and you need to listen to someone." _Aeris's voice reverberated, struggling to conquer the wind's volume._ "Marlene, Cloud's gonna be okay. You take care of yourself. Marlene you've got power. You've got power . . ."_

A man sobbed in Hell as he heard his daughter's words over and over again in his head_._

_"I don't know you. I don't __**know**__ you!"_

Three silver-haired brothers stood, white wings sprouting from their backs as if they were angels. They swooped into the deepest skies spinning and tumbling and soaring. Air rippled between the feathers and they laughed and laughed.

Whole freedom . . .

But not slavery.

Brutal shackles snapped open and shut. Hungry. For victims. Of consequence. Of themselves. Of Marlene's circumstances. A pink ribbon fluttered to the dark dungeon floor. Lost in the dirt. In the ash. The whole world was ash . . .

**XxXxXx**

Yazoo wrenched his hand from Marlene's forehead and his connection with Marlene's sub-conscious was lost. In his mind, a girl's pleas echoed in his mind. Haunting him. _I don't know you. I don't __**know **__you . . ._

"Yazoo?" Loz asked, touching his shoulder. Kadaj cradled Marlene in his arms. Yazoo's eyes fixed on the girl. What went _on_ in that child's head?

"What did you learn?" Loz asked. Yazoo shrugged.

"Everything. Nothing. I don't know," he admitted. His green eyes looked to the sky. It was almost two o' clock in the morning.

"Come little brothers," he said, "we should take her back now," he announced. Kadaj glared at him for speaking so loudly when Marlene was obviously asleep, but he obliged and stood up.

"We can't risk putting her back in her own house," Loz said. "We've caused too much attention already."

"Loz is right, Kadaj. We'll wake her once we reach the end of the forest." Yazoo told him. Kadaj sighed his consent.

**XxXxXx**

"I can't do it Loz—_you _wake her," a male voice echoed. A second snorted.

"Don't be ridiculous Kadaj."

KADAJ! Marlene's eyes flew open and she found herself resting in her friend's arms just protected by the woods.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked anxiously, her voice bleary. The sky was still dark. She shivered. It was still cold too.

"Only about an hour," Loz shrugged. Marlene climbed out of Kadaj's arms.

"I have to get back." She rubbed at her sleepy eyes.

"Good luck! Have a pleasant morning."

"You too," she whispered, exiting the woods and quietly sneaking across the lot between Seventh Heaven and her house. She leaped up the three porch steps to her house when she suddenly stopped.

A crimson shadow materialized from the black corner of her porch.

Vincent Valentine.

"So," he said in that gravel-voice of his, "I might be mistaken—but wasn't your bedtime a good four and a half hours ago?" He leaned against the door. Marlene froze. She was in _so_ much trouble.

"I thought that you weren't going to be back until tomorrow!" She accused, having nothing else to defend herself with.

"Irrelevant. Where've you been?" He asked. Marlene slumped.

"I'm _tired_ Vincent," she pleaded. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Me too. Can't talk about being tired until you've had to fight for control over your own body," he muttered.

"Well then we can _both _go to bed," she said wearily, wanting nothing more than to collapse into her soft, warm bed.

"I'm not so lucky," he said dryly, "I don't sleep."

"That's impossible," Marlene rolled her eyes, "every human has to sleep." She said conclusively. Vincent just smirked.

"_Maybe_ I'm _not_ human." Ooh. He had her there. "You can tell me, you know. We're friends, right? You liked me better than Cloud once," he reminded her.

"Friends," she said slowly. "You don't _have_ any friends," she scoffed. Ooh. She had him there.

"That _is_ true," he chuckled, and moved out of her way. "Get some sleep. You have to get up in three hours anyway."

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

"But Marlene," he said as she turned toward the door, "I _will_ find out. Soon."

"I know," she sighed. "I know."

**XxXxXx**

**Please review! I LOVE reading reviews! They're so much fun!**


	6. Chapter Five: The Ultimatum

**Sorry for such a late update peeps! Thanks sooo much for all of your reviews and I hope I can keep 'em coming how you like it D. Anyway, here's chapter five. Haha, this chapter started out SO crappy . . . I pretty much had to add in most of what's here. Enjoy!**

Chapter Five: The Ultimatum

"Never knew Marlene was a fan of the big outdoors," Vincent remarked casually to Tifa the next morning. Barret and Cloud had both gone to work so Vincent kept Tifa company as she tended to the Seventh Heaven customers. Tifa sighed.

"Well to be honest with you, I've been wondering about that myself." The pretty young woman threw a glance out the window. "A couple of weeks ago I caught her trying to mess around with my grandmother's old spell book and some Materia. I took them, and they haven't been touched since—as far as I know anyway. But she's been real distant lately. I feel bad. Like it's sort of our fault for her being dragged into AVALANCHE in the first place. I don't know." Tifa's voice trailed off. Vincent nodded.

"Barret doesn't know, does he?"

"About the Materia? No," Tifa admitted, "and neither does Cloud. I guess it would've been a sort of kill-joy for Barret to have to find out right when he starts up his new job. I didn't have the heart."

Vincent nodded again.

"Yet she _still_ goes out there?" He reaffirmed.

"Yep." Tifa popped the 'p' on the word.

"That's interesting."

**XxXxXx**

After getting a short description of the woods from Tifa, Vincent made the trek toward the forest. He was growing tired of sparring with the seven-year-old Marlene and decided that today was the day that he would find out her big, bad secret.

The trail continued about a mile or so in—according to Tifa—and he spotted little irregularities along the way.

Footprints, for example, were muddled in the ground. A couple of branches lay on the side of the trail, burnt to a blackened crisp.

His keen ears picked up voices long before reaching the said 'clearing'. Vincent inched silently closer. He ducked down off the trail and crouched among shrubs and bushes.

He could see the clearing. Just barely, but he could _see _the clearing. As well as the long-dead silver-haired men.

How. The _Hell_.

"She'll keep coming to us, right?" Asked Yazoo. He remembered their names and faces as if it was just yesterday that Cloud was _killing them_.

"Of course she will," Kadaj said, "but we really shouldn't use her _every_ night. Or else she'll begin to suffer. She might not like it after a while."

"I hope we can convince her to stay. She's fun to play with in the night," said Loz.

Vincent jerked back his head. _**Using her**__ every night_? Fun to _**play with**__ in the night_? It only then occurred to Vincent that they were indeed talking about Marlene Wallace. If that meant the hell what it sounded like . . . Vincent clenched his fist, wishing he could re-slaughter them now, but knowing his efforts would be wasted on a three-to-one scale. Marlene . . . why didn't she _say_ anything? Maybe they had scared her . . . blackmailed her. She was only _seven-years-old_. The real question would be telling Barret what he had heard. Furious would be too kind a word to describe his reaction if he did tell her father.

Maybe the best thing to do would be to get the answers straight from the source. Make Marlene tell him everything. And if they had . . . violated her . . . he'd give Barret the honor of taking his gun and filling their bodies with lead and chrome.

And taking a step back from it all, Vincent wondered.

Why, did they _always_, come back?

**XxXxXx**

"Marlene! Hi!" Called a voice to her as lunch began. Marlene turned to see fellow classmate Shar Stinton, a tentative, pretty little blonde girl with a messy ponytail and blue jeans. Marlene was always nice to Shar. She seemed lonely.

"Hi Shar, how are you?" She asked patiently, sitting down near the end of Denzel's Table with her lunch tray. Shar shrugged, not catching Marlene's eye, and sat down.

"Actually, I was wondering if you knew how to do this math problem," she said, sitting down across from her and handing Marlene a work sheet. Marlene skimmed it over.

"Yeah, I do. Need some help?" She asked. Shar nodded.

"Ms. Reid told me to ask you about it."

"Okay, which one do you need help on?" She asked, studying the paper. Shar craned her neck over to see.

"Number eleven," she replied, and slid over to Marlene's side of the table.

Marlene caught a quick glance of the sleeves of Shar's long-sleeve shirt balled into a clenched fist in her lap. She recognized the gesture; she'd used such a guise to hide the Materia that had once glowed in her wrist only weeks ago.

"So. Twenty-one minus nine." She drew out the problem on the paper with Shar's pen. "Nine can't be taken from one, so you have to borrow from the two."

"Eleven minus nine is two," Shar said, frowning in concentration.

"Right. Now bring down the one . . . and you've got twelve! You try now," Marlene urged her friend. "Twenty-three minus seven." Shar released her sleeves, her pencil becoming her next steel-clenched victim.

"Thanks for helping me," Shar said, absentmindedly working on the math.

"Mmhmm," Marlene replied. "Hey Shar, what happened to your wrists?" She asked curiously, noting red marks that twisted around the girl's arm. Shar stiffened and then smiled.

"Rope burn. My brother made me a swing. Well thanks for the help, Marlene!" The girl bounced her way off the table. Marlene continued to look after her.

**XxXxXx**

The rest of the school day was spent keeping Shar in thought, and contemplating ways to avoid Vincent Valentine, the one man in the world who could tear her life apart with a few words with a few people.

The night before had been inexcusable. What if he told Daddy where she'd been so late at night? What if AVALANCHE was in the clearing right _now_, fighting Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo?

Dread and anxiety bitterly held onto Marlene.

When the last school-bell ran for the day, Marlene was torn between rushing to go home and check on Kadaj, and delaying the road home in case something terrible had happened.

In the end, Marlene stood where she was in front of the school, other kids rushing to the school buses around her.

But then the sea of children parted the way and a crimson cape swirled dramatically around Vincent's monochromatic form.

Eyes widening, she turned to run when Vincent caught her swiftly by the arm. A good 600 pairs of eyes stared at them.

"I'm taking you home Marlene," Vincent said darkly. Marlene's heart sank. Something bad was happening. She knew it. She followed Vincent to a small rental car and got in.

Vincent and the child sat in silence for a minute or two, kids trying to peer into their car. Vincent backed out of the parking lot and headed toward the road to Seventh Heaven.

"So," Vincent began, "when exactly were you planning on telling me about your little friends?"

Marlene sucked air; the sharp intake bruising her lungs. She cleared her throat and decided to say something before she was caught red-handed. "What friends?" She asked carefully. Vincent's grip on the steering wheel tightened and his knuckles paled.

"I'm not bluffing, _little girl_. And this is no longer a guessing game. I know that Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are back, and I _know_ you've been hiding them."

No.

Marlene trembled.

"I can send all of AVALANCHE _and_ ShinRa to kick them back to where they came from. You don't have to be responsible for them anymore. They won't hurt you."

Marlene bit her lip and a hot tear ran down a glazed eye.

"Well?" He asked. Marlene's throat choked.

"Don't hurt them," she whispered fearfully. Vincent looked at her, trying to understand. Maybe they _had_ blackmailed her. This child knew pain. Serious pain. Now who had caused it . . .

"Did they hurt you?" He asked, ungently. Unsympathetically. After all, Vincent knew pain too. "You can tell me. They can't hurt you here." Marlene shook her head. "Are you telling me the truth? They haven't harmed you in any way?" He asked solemnly, staring into her tear-filled eyes.

Marlene shook her head desperately, letting her head thud against the window, her eyes squeezing up as tears poured from them silently. Vincent sighed, refusing to believe that they hadn't hurt or lied to her to hide them. There was simply too much evidence against it.

"I'll find out. Just like I found out that they existed in the first place."

Marlene turned to him suddenly as Vincent pulled into a sparsely-populated parking lot. "_Look_ at me, Vincent!" She yelled, her liquid-hazel eyes flooded with emotion. "You're _not. Going. To find anything_. They _haven't hurt me_. This time, it's just me. It's _just me_."

Vincent held her eyes a moment before wrenching his beliefs hesitantly. There was no lie in her eyes. It _was_ just her. That just meant that she had hidden the three most dangerous people alive in her back yard for who knows how long. There had to be an ultimatum.

"Thursday, Marlene," he said finally. "I'll give you until Thursday to tell them. Your father. Cloud. Tifa. Two days. Starting now, you can walk away—get yourself out of trouble. Two days to go back to the way things were. But you have to turn them in."

"_But I can't do that_," Marlene's voice was hoarse. Desperate. Vincent shook his head regretfully.

"Well that's too bad Marlene Wallace. Because I don't have a problem with it. Friday night Marlene. Oh, and I'll be watching you. _Try_ getting out at night to warn them."

**XxXxXx**

Marlene was desperate. She felt stuck in a trap of her own demise. Vincent did nothing to help her and the lives of her friends hung helplessly on a thin thread. And there was nothing she could do about it.

If she warned them, Vincent would find out and bring AVALANCHE down on them. If she did nothing, then come Wednesday it would all be over anyway. And of course, telling them herself was simply not an option. She knew that she'd rather sit under Tifa's anger forever, rather than betray Kadaj.

There was nothing she could do.

That night was a true living hell for Marlene. She tossed and turned in her bed at Daddy's, trying to think of any possible solution to her tragedy. But each time she came up with a plan, it was immediately countered by something else.

Around midnight, she gave up.

And began to cry; big tears rolling down thin cheeks. Her shoulders wracking underneath her covers. She clutched at her pillow, now damp with cool tears, and shuddered at her own loneliness. Her room seemed so dark and confined. Marlene was so scared.

A light tap sounded on her door before it slowly creaked open. "Marlene?" Asked her father as he approached her bedside. Marlene wiped furiously at her face to get rid of the tears. What had she _done_?

"Hey Marlie—what's wrong? I thought I heard something coming from your room. Why are ya crying sweetheart?" He asked, sitting down on her bedside.

"I—it's—" Marlene hiccupped, unable to complete her sentence. Barret looked at the ground.

"I haven't been there for you . . . have I? Lord, Marlene, I'm sorry. I don't know _what _I'm doing." Barret looked back at the past month with disgust. He'd been so caught up with his work he hadn't noticed his own _daughter_ wasn't happy. What kind of father was he? Cloud and Tifa knew her better than he did.  
"Is it me, Mar? I can quit tomorrow if you want me to. It won't be—"

"—Daddy," she choked, her eyes filled with tears. "It's not you." Barret's heart broke.

"What is it, Baby?" He asked incredulously. But she shook her head, fresh tears marking fresh trails on her cheeks and Barret held her. Marlene clung to him, burying her face in his big brown chest. Realizing she would miss him so much. Because they would never look at each other the same way after he found out. She knew it in her heart.

"I love you Daddy," Marlene whispered, "I'll always, always love you."

"And I love you too. No matter what happens. You remember that, kay?"

Marlene wanted to say something more, but she just clenched her arms around him until she exhausted herself in tears, and a great weariness stormed over her and she lay sleeping on her father's chest where they remained until morning.

**XxXxXx**

**So . . . there it is. Like I said, I'm sorry for the short update. To make it up to you, I'll probably update again in just a few days. Maybe Wednesday or so. I'm not gonna lie, it's a pretty epic chapter.**

**Challenge: So, say in the context of this story, Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Marlene were to do something just fun over Christmas break, where would they go and what would they do? Any ideas? If anyone's got any amazing ideas, please drop them in a review and I'll consider adding it because I haven't completely written the last few chapters of this and I've got a bit of room for add-ins. Just a thought. Please review!**


	7. Chapter Six: Thursday

**Best. Chapter. EVER.**

Chapter Six: Thursday

Thursday passed by uneventfully.

**XxXxXx**

**Psyche. Ha, that was fun.**


	8. Chapter Seven: This Is It

**Okay everybody, I deeply apologize for the last chapter. The main deal was that I saw that in my notebook and I knew that I could never pass anything like that up. So, sure, I was called evil a few times, lol, but it really was fun so I don't regret it too much :D. And now for the moment you've all been waiting for.**

Chapter Seven: This is It

A vision came to Loz that midnight. He saw a glimpse of raging, azure eyes and a fist clenched around a buster sword handle. Cloud.

He saw red paint streaking down a canvas with a picture of a forest setting elegantly scripted onto it.

A lovely voice whispered into his ear as he saw these little things. _"No more waiting, Loz."_

He woke up.

**XxXxXx**

Cloud Strife was dreaming about a girl who laughed like bells. She was walking down a dirty street with a basket of flowers in her hand and a knowing little smile at her lips. With her other hand she absently fingered a golden medallion around her neck. He briefly recalled, in that strange dream way, that he had given it to her—when she was still alive. He wondered where it was now.

**XxXxXx**

Her time was up. Marlene awoke with a start. Today was the day. She had to something. Anything. But what could she do alone?

She jumped out of bed, quickly dressing and getting ready for a regular school-day. She had to be smart. She needed to think stuff out.

She'd get a ride to school and after that she could go where she wanted. Good. She had a step one.

**XxXxXx**

It wasn't until after her father drove away, leaving Marlene at Sector Seven Elementary that the young girl glanced up at Reeve heading back to his car. Maybe, just _maybe_ he could help her. She desperately needed any help she could get.

She ran to him.

"Mister Reeve—wait!" She called. Reeve turned around, his eyes dropping as he saw her.

"Oh. Hi, Marlene," he said.

"Mister Reeve I need your help," Marlene panted. He was quite taken aback.

"My help? With what?" He asked.

"Um—well—three of my friends are about to get in really big trouble with AVALANCHE, but they haven't done anything wrong! I just don't want them to get hurt but I don't know what to do!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay. So your friends being accused of something they didn't do. _How_ do you know they're going to get in trouble?" He asked.

"Well, somebody thinks they're bad people and said he was gonna tell AVALANCHE," Marlene replied, twisting her shirt with nervous hands. Reeve sighed in disappointment.

Well, if this was a real instance it would seem that you already know all of what's going on. So the most efficient thing _you_ could do would be to tell the law what you known and then it would be their responsibility to clear them. Now you better go to class, Marlene."

"Wait—what do you mean _if_ it was a real instance?" Marlene demanded, hands on her hips.

"Look Marlene," Reeve sighed, "seven-year-old girls don't _have_ friends that get in trouble with AVALANCHE. Now I might be getting old, but I'm not stupid."

Marlene's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"You—you . . ." she stuttered before turning on her heel and fleeing in the opposite direction.

**XxXxXx**

"I'm telling you, Kadaj, we need to _go_. Yazoo, tell him!" Loz pleaded. Kadaj turned around in annoyance.

"This is ridiculous," he replied smoothly. "One day you're singing songs around the fire and you say we should leave without even telling Marlene?"

"I _saw_ what I _saw_," Loz insisted. "And bad things are going to happen if we stay. No more waiting!"

"And who's not to say that bad things are going to happen if we leave, hmm?" He purred.

"It's the _future_ Kadaj. You know that."

"What I _know_ is that we shouldn't run off for the ShinRa building with guns and sword blazing just because you had another bad dream," Kadaj smirked. "Sounds a bit _impulsive_ now, doesn't it?"

Loz yelled angrily, whirling around to face Kadaj and slamming his younger brother roughly up against a tree.

"Don't you_ ever_ underestimate what I see," he growled darkly. Kadaj glared at him with eyes of fire.

"Enough!" Yazoo snapped. "Look at you two. I see no difference between now and Reunion. Loz, put him down _right now_. Kadaj, don't be so _ignorant_ about Loz's visions!" Slowly Loz loosened his grip on Kadaj, although the two continued to glare spitefully at each other.

"Maybe we _should_ leave," Yazoo continued, "so that Marlene doesn't have to put _up_ with you two." That seemed to jar them a bit. After a long while of shameful silence, Kadaj spoke up.

"What if, when we do eventually leave, we took her with us?" He asked. Loz scoffed.

"And give AVALANCHE one _more _reason for shooting us down?" He asked doubtfully. Kadaj shook his head.

"This isn't _about_ AVALANCHE. It's about Marlene and us."

"What if she doesn't want to come?" Inquired Yazoo.

"Obviously we can't _force_ her if that's what you're getting at," Kadaj rolled his eyes. "It's her choice."

"If we live long enough for her to make it," Loz added sullenly. They again lapsed into silence.

**XxXxXx**

Neither Tifa and Cloud or Barret noticed the hateful tension that sparked from Marlene to Vincent that evening as they ate dinner after Seventh Heaven hours. This was it. Marlene could _tell_ as soon as Vincent's dark eyes focused their reticule to Marlene's and raised an eyebrow unapologetically. Vincent put down his napkin.

"Marlene, would you mind if I spoke to Cloud, Tifa, and your father _privately_ for a moment?" Vincent asked pointedly. Marlene glared venom-daggers at him and fled from the room.

This was it. She peered around the corner, out of sight, and she clenched her jaw as she listened to him betray her.

Cloud's fist tightened, and Tifa's eyes fill with tears. Daddy jumped from the table.

Marlene panicked. Only one thing left to do. One chance. Nothing left to lose.

She bolted out the front door, letting it crash shut and she raced, heart pounding, into the forest, shoving branches out of her path as she madly broke into the clearing.

"_You have to go_!" She screamed at her three friends who quickly surrounded her.

"Marlene! What's wrong?" Yazoo asked, gazing intently into her hazel eyes.

"There's no time! AVALANCHE is coming—they know!" She shrieked.

"Alright," Kadaj said quietly. "Loz, get the bikes. When will they be here?" He asked. Marlene glanced back.

"I don't know. Any second!. I don't—"

"—Get _AWAY FROM HER_!" Yelled a male voice. Cloud. Marlene spun around just in time to see Tifa's outstretched arms snatch her mid-leap as they tumbled into the brush.

"No!" Marlene sobbed, on the ground as Cloud, Vincent, and Daddy leaped into the clearing bearing their weapons at a stricken Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo.

Vincent took advantage of the stillness and jumped at Yazoo, catching him off guard and slamming an iron fist into his stomach. Marlene screamed, shielding her eyes as Yazoo crumpled.

Loz was next. Barret swiftly delivered a blow to the side of Loz's head with the blunt of his gun and as Loz tried to recover from it, Barret charged him with an angry yell, sending Loz skidding, unconscious to the ground.

Kadaj's eyes darted helplessly from Loz to Yazoo to Marlene. What was left.

Cloud's azure eyes glazed over in fury. His fingers tightened slowly around his buster sword. He was going to enjoy this.

The boy had no weapon. No brothers. No magic. Not this time.

"No!" Marlene pleaded, held tight in Tifa's arms. "Don't hurt him, Cloud, please! Don't _do_ it!" She screamed. And then she remembered. "The _medallion_ Kadaj! Show him the _medallion_!"

Cloud advanced on the silver-haired boy, altogether ignoring Marlene. But a light seemed to dawn on Kadaj.

"Aeris," he whispered, "we're friends of Aeris!"

"_Don't_!" Cloud yelled. "Don't you say her name! . . ." He warned with an intensity Marlene had never heard before.

"It's _true_," she pleaded, tears streaking her face, "it's true!"

Kadaj fumbled for the medal in his coat. Reaching it, he yanked it out. Grasped it in his hand. Held it up above his head. Felt his sad eyes lock with Marlene's.

"_Look _at it Cloud! It's from Aeris!"

Kadaj held it in front of the man's face. Knowing it was a tantalizing remnant of Cloud's best friend. Knowing he couldn't resist.

Cloud snatched it out of Kadaj's hand. Examined it closely.

"You remember it," Marlene whispered, "you remember."

Cloud closed his eyes and bowed his head. A cool breeze drifted by and relieved the heat of tears and tension.

"Why did Aeris send you?" Cloud asked quietly.

"To _help_ them," Kadaj whispered. Barret turned to the boy.

"Cloud, I can't believe you believe this! And Marlene—what does she have to do with you?" He growled to them.. He wanted the creep to stop looking at his _daughter_.

"She's our . . . friend."

"Are you hurt baby?" Barret asked her. She shook her head.

"Daddy—they're not bad, I promise you!"

Cloud shook. Aeris sent them . . . he had all the proof in his hand and a small girl who looked in the mirror and saw an angel.

"Vincent," he murmured, "get them out here."

"NO!" Marlene sobbed.

"It'd be my pleasure," he grunted, kicking a now-conscious Loz to his feet.

"Marlene?" Yazoo asked weakly.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured to them. "I'm sorry!" She locked into Kadaj's regretful understanding. Yazoo's still numb green eyes. Loz's angry, spiteful ones.

"I told you!" Loz yelled to Kadaj. His younger brother flinched and turned away. "I _told_ you!"

"Goodbye Marlene," Yazoo said, and he smiled a sad smile.

"_We're leaving_," a tight-lipped Tifa said. And she pushed Marlene out of the clearing and into the woods. Marlene cried to herself as she made her way through the woods.

She briefly recognized the full moon. The clearing's magic and mystery shone well through for Tifa, Cloud, Daddy, and Vincent to see.

She bid the clearing a bitter farewell.

She would never go back.

**XxXxXx**

By the time they got to the end of the lot, Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj were bound and thrown into Vincent's rental car.

Marlene gasped and broke free of Tifa's grasp, running to them.

"Goodbye," she choked. Kadaj smiled, and spoke quietly.

"You haven't seen the last of us Marlene Wallace."

And then the door slammed. The car drove away. They were gone.

Marlene stood silently and trembled.

**XxXxXx**

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter Eight: Aftermath

**YAY! For once I actually UPDATED on time! W00t! This is a really good weekend for me because school got out on Wednesday and I've got all this free time to write and make videos and wake up late! Hooray for summer! Lol, anyways, here's your next chapter. Please enjoy! And thank you reviewers! I'm really grateful for you guys for pointing important stuff out to me (like, posting chapters of completely different stories into this one xD). Youse all rock! Okay. -breath- time to get in the mood. Hmm. How about an angsty song?**

**_But she will sing, till everything burns and everyone screams. Burning their lies. Burning my dreams. All of this hate, and all of this pain. Burn it all down, as my anger reigns. Until everything burns._--Ben Moody ft. Anastacia (or is it the other way around...?)**

Chapter Eight: Aftermath

"How did this _happen_, Marlene?" Tifa asked, a tear rolling down her face. Marlene could only gape at the car that was leaving her behind. The young girl slowly turned to her, and Tifa gasped at the dangerous look in her eye. Marlene was _seething_. Tifa's eyes scrunched up incredulously surprised at Marlene's reaction. Then something dawned on her and she reached for Marlene's shoulder. Marlene deliberately backed away. Back, back, back, and bolted back to Barret's house, leaving Tifa to watch after her, knowing she'd lost something.

"I don't believe it," Barret said, as he and Cloud joined Tifa by her side. "I _still_ don't believe they've come back."

"I just let them go," Cloud realized. "I let them live."

**XxXxXx**

Vincent came back the next morning after dropping the three remnants along the outskirts of Midgar. He had left then too, taking his things and after a grim farewell, catching a train to the horizon.

By that night Marlene was still sleeping, giving Cloud, Tifa, and Barret time to talk in Seventh Heaven.

"Do you really think that Aeris brought them back?" Tifa asked in a monotone. Cloud was silent a moment before answering.

"I couldn't kill them," he said finally, "something stopped me. I just . . . couldn't." Anger raged in Tifa, but she bit back a hateful reply. Yes. He _had_ let them live.Had it been _her_ in Cloud's position . . .

"What _I_ want to know is how Marlene was involved with them," Barret used a great amount of jaw exertion to get the words from his mouth, his head in his hands. "But I'm scared to find out. I don't know _anything _about her. Who knows what they did."

"What are we supposed to do now?" Cloud asked, dispassionately. "Half of Midgar's got to know by now that the three remnants are alive and in a few hours, it'll hit the press, no doubt."

"I guess you'll be the one to answer why they're still alive." Tifa said.

"We've dealt with shit before," Barret said. "We always come out. Always. We can handle this."

"Name one fight we've fought without sacrifice," Cloud demanded.

"What are you saying—is this going to take you _another_ two years to get over?" Tifa snarled.

"Chill _out, _you guys! This isn't about you! It's about Marlene. So let go of all your goddamned issues and focus here!" Barret yelled. As they continued to argue, they failed to notice a tiny, dark-haired, little girl watching and listening from around the corner.

Marlene vowed, then that they _never_ would know the whole story. They would never know the hows or whys. They would never know.

With that last thought, Marlene stole quietly back down the hall, into her room, and pretended to be fast asleep.

**XxXxXx**

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were a blur to Marlene. She stayed at home in her room, refusing even to come out to eat. She cried a lot, though. She did. She didn't go near Seventh Heaven—one reason being to avoid Tifa as much as possible. The second being that the public was desperate for answers.

She'd seen reporters in their area ever since Vincent left, so whenever someone politely but insistently knocked at her door, Marlene and Barret ignored it.

Daddy stayed at home that week. Sometimes he tried to talk to her, sometimes not. Marlene didn't talk. Not a word. He was scared she was starving herself in her room.

Come Wednesday however, there was a change of pace. Marlene woke in her bed early, got dressed, shouldered her backpack, and stepped into the living room where her father sat—tired and sad. Timidly, she stepped up to him.

"Daddy?" She whispered. His eyes shot up to her, full of hope. "Will you take me to school today?" She asked.

Inwardly ecstatic with joy, Barret Wallace set his mug of coffee and stood up.

"Of course I will Marlie," her father said, his voice strangely unclear.

"Thank you."

**XxXxXx**

"Are ya sure you're gonna be okay?" Barret asked, noticing impatient cameramen and reporters hovering around the elementary school anxiously.

"It's life, Daddy, it goes on," she said. She turned to him in the car. "I love you." And before he could respond, Marlene opened the door and stepped onto the school's premises. Barret drove away.

Instantly an onslaught of reporters surrounded her. She recognized a few, distantly, from Post-Reunion.

"Marlene, honey," one snappy female with a microphone asked as cameras flashed in her direction, "tell us how long you knew about the remnants before AVALANCHE found them!"

"Is it true that they lived in your house for weeks at a time before they were caught?"

"What was your relationship with the remnants like, Ms. Wallace?" Asked a kind-looking male reporter.

_Flash_.

_Flash_.

_Flash, flash, flash, flash, flash_.

"I have to go to class," she mumbled, confused. "Bye." She maneuvered her way out, not stopping at the boisterous call of her name by students, reporters, teachers. This was going to be a long day.

**XxXxXx**

"Hey Reeve, did you hear about Denzel's little friend?" Asked Reeve's co-worker Glinda Davis as he made his way to his car to drop off a letter to Mr. CEO. Reeve shrugged.

"Which one?" He asked.

"Marlene Wallace—AVALANCHE's daughter," Glinda responded. Uh-oh.

"No—what's going on?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"Oh it's all over the news. Turns out the three remnants are alive—she's been hiding them in her backyard for the past month and a half. Pretty outrageous huh?"

Reeve's mind spun. He flashed back to his and Marlene's last conversation. It'd been true. She'd hid . . . the three remnants. That was _possible_? And he hadn't believed her.

"Yeah. Pretty outrageous," he replied, his eyes deep and distracted. "Pretty outrageous."

**XxXxXx**

By the time Marlene got home and entered her living room, she was thoroughly sick of the human race. All day she she'd endured interrogations and judgments from everyone at her school. Eventually, she was sent to the school's councilor who not only asked the most questions, but also asked Marlene if she could relay her statements to the press.

So when she got home and collapsed onto her living room couch, Daddy right behind her, she wished the world would grow up.

"So. How was _your _day?" Barret asked wearily, looking over at his seven-year-old girl.

"I miss them, Daddy."

"_Why_?"

"They were my friends. They weren't bad at all."

"Marlene, you haven't been fighting nearly as long as I have. When you face evil as often as I do, you realize that when evil things die, you want them to _stay_ dead so you can keep up with it all."

"They could help you."

"_No_ Marlene! If Aeris really sent them back, then she's gonna have to use them by themselves. Because there's no way I will _ever_ work with them," Barret promised. They were quiet a moment.

"I wish you were new to the world, Daddy. Like me."

**XxXxXx**

That evening there was a knock at the door. Barret wasn't going to answer it—it was probably just one more goddamned reporter trying to get to Marlene or him.

But then again, they hadn't had a single reporter come to their door that day yet. In the end, Barret decided that if it _was_ a reporter, he would tell them just where exactly they _could_ go, and kindly slam the door in their stupid faces.

He opened up. And was instantly taken aback to see a grim-faced Reeve at his doorway.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Barret asked suspiciously. Reeve let out a breath.

"Don't worry Wallace—I'm not planning on staying. But, well, I heard that Marlene was going through a tough time, and," he stopped and lifted a big bouquet of elegant and soft-colored flowers that he'd set on the porch, "would you give these to her? No need to tell her who they're from.

Slowly, confused, Barret took the bouquet from him. "Um, yeah . . . Sure . . ."

"I'll see you around Wallace," and Reeve left before Barret had second thoughts about not thanking him.

"Marlene?" Barret called. Slowly, she emerged from her room. As she saw the flowers, her face twisted into a question. "These are yours," he said, gently handing over the large beautiful floral arrangement.

"Who are they from?" She asked curiously. Barret shrugged.

"Didn't want to say," he replied as Marlene closed her eyes and breathed in the scent. Her nose caught a tag.

"There's a card on it," she murmured, gently prying it from the blossoms. Setting down the flowers, she opened it.

It was blank except for a short message written in a silver pen in male penmanship.

"What's it say?" Her father asked. For the first time that week, her spirit twinged upward and a drop of happiness almost reached her.

"_I'm sorry_." And she forgave Reeve.

**XxXxXx**

Thursday and Friday were bitterly cold. It was mid-December and as other children's thoughts were fixed on the upcoming holidays, Marlene's were on Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. She almost didn't like to think of them though. It made her heart hurt to do so.

Her father took the rest of the week off, understandably. The only words that passed between Tifa and her were clipped and short. Cloud hardly spoke at all.

As painful as losing her friends were, losing both Tifa and Cloud at the same time was simply unbearable. Tifa was angry. Angry at Marlene for lying and hiding secrets, and angry at Cloud for letting the 'remnants' live. Cloud was suffering from the idea of past figures coming back once again. Marlene cried often for this. To think the whole thing had started by trying to _help_ Cloud.

Friday night, exactly one week of her friends being taken away, Marlene got ready for bed, climbed into blue covers, and switched off the light, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the covers.

**XxXxXx**

**-Gasp- a whole chapter with no SHM! What is this world coming to? (Lol, remember The Spell, waiting like, 12 chapters for them to even show up). Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading and please review! **


	10. Chapter Nine: The Cathedral

**OMG I'm sorry I'm sooo late in updating! I hope you forgive me! Anyway, here's the magic chapter that inspired this story! I hope you enjoy! Oh, by the way, I'm happy to inform everyone that at nine chapters, I've got more reviews for 'Temples Of Gold' than I got for 'The Spell'. Guess we all grow!**

Chapter Nine: The Cathedral

_Tap, tap, tap_.

Marlene stirred in her slumber.

_Tap, tap, tap_.

She groggily opened one eye.

_Tap, tap, tap_.

What was that _sound_? Marlene awoke silently in her bed. The noise came one more time.

_Tap, tap, tap_.

Reminded her blearily of glass...

Her window! She bolted upward in bed to face a frosty window with an excited Kadaj behind it, green eyes shining. A smile lit up on Marlene's face as she managed to shove a hand over her mouth before she shrieked in excitement.

A slow smile spread to his lips. Wait—how had he gotten to her _window_? Quickly, Marlene unlocked the glass panel, slid it up, and then the screen. A flurry of cold air hit her and Kadaj silently slid into her room.

Before they said anything, Kadaj laughed and flew at Marlene, his leather-protected arms losing themselves around Marlene's torso. Marlene lowered her face into his familiar leather jacket, choosing to ignore the questions she had,and let Kadaj's hands caress her soft head, eyes shut.

When they finally broke the embrace, Marlene glanced toward the door. They couldn't be loud. The _last_ thing they needed was Daddy coming in. She darted to the door, locked it, and quietly ran back.

"I missed you so much!" She whispered excitedly, unable to take her eyes off of Kadaj.

"I missed you too. I missed you more than I ever thought I could . . ." His eyes unfocused themselves.

"How did you _get_ here?" Marlene asked. "How are Loz and Yazoo? Where have you_ been_ for the past week?" She questioned, careful to talk any louder than a whisper.

"Well," Kadaj spoke in a quiet tone, "we were put on the outskirts of Midgar. We've been staying out of the way of the people—they apparently haven't taken too well to the idea of our arrival. Loz has forgiven me for not leaving sooner, and Yazoo has spent his time preparing to leave for Parlhun."

_Leaving for Parlhun? But they've just come back!_ Tears formed in Marlene's eyes.

"Is this goodbye then?" She asked timidly.

"Not quite yet," Kadaj told her, "you see, two weeks ago, you made me a promise." Marlene looked up at him.

"I did?" She asked. Kadaj nodded toward his glass entrance.

"Look out the window, Marlene," he whispered. Her bare foot slipped forward. Marlene caught her breath.

"It's snowing," she breathed. And then she turned back to him.

"You'll probably want a coat," he remarked, "and maybe a pair of gloves and shoes."

Marlene scrambled to pull on thick socks and sneakers, then to grab for a pair of mittens and her coat that hung on her door. After a moment's hesitation, she also took a woolen blanket that lined her bedset.

"Ready?" He asked. Eyes sparkling, she nodded.

"Did you bring your bike?" She asked.

"Not here. I parked it a few blocks away—it was pretty loud. Don't worry, we're not going very far." He smiled.

"How are we getting out?" Marlene asked. Kadaj stepped up to the window.

"Same way I came in," Kadaj grunted, opening up the window again. "It's a good thing you live in a one story house. I'm going to go out first. Then you. I'll catch you," he said.

He slipped out the window and landed with a quiet crunch onto a thin layer of snow. He then smiled up at Marlene, raising his arms to catch her. Marlene grinned and leaped, landing in Kadaj's arms, blanket and all.

"Let's go," he said with a smile as he began to walk.

"Where are we going?" She whispered, clutching his neck. He chuckled.

"To watch the snow." They began to walk.

We're going into town?" She asked, huddling in closer with her blankets as he began to walk in the direction of a quiet, local downtown.

"You'll see," he said, and she was unable to catch the delighted twinkle in his green eyes.

A good 10-15 minutes of quick-paced striding later, they stopped on the corner of Spire Avenue.

"Are we almost there?" Marlene asked, hiding her face in Kadaj's neck. She felt him let out a long breath.

"Look Marlene," he breathed, "_look_ at it."

Marlene raised her small head to look up and her eyes widened, feeling a strange still at the sight in front of her.

It was a cathedral. Not Aeris's church by a long shot, but a majestic stone _palace_ of a church in Midgar.

She'd passed by this same, quiet place many times before. But she recognized it in a new light now. It stood, terribly beautiful; black sky against stone rooftops covered in snow. A silver moon shone brilliantly through fractals of stain-glass windows. Marlene recognized a great power in this cathedral.

Kadaj began to run toward it, Marlene jostling against him as he did so.

"Whoa—what are we doing?" She asked, shivering at the cold rush of air that passed through her.

"Would you like to see more?" He asked. They reached the base of the stone tower. He was still a moment.

"Kadaj?" Marlene whispered.

"Hold on," he warned, and taking a deep breath, he lunged at the building with two hands. Marlene shrieked aloud before quickly silencing herself. Her eyes flashed with panic as she realized Kadaj was no longer on the ground, but a good five feet up, stuck to the wall. He brought up his feet and stretched ahead of him with his hands. He was climbing the wall!  
"Kadaj, is this safe?" Marlene dared to question, her voice low and shaking against him.

"I haven't forgotten everything," Kadaj strained as they quickly but inconsistently inched their way up. Marlene shut her eyes, not daring to look down, and clung to Kadaj's neck for dear life.

After what seemed hours, but in reality couldn't have been more than ten minutes, Kadaj grabbed at an indent on the cathedral's roof. Marlene was at once dizzy with fear for being so close to the edge—a mere inch away from sudden death, and quickly backed away from the edge and onto the snowy roof just as Kadaj swung up top.

"There now," Kadaj smiled, "that wasn't so bad was it?" He grinned, revealing her blanket draped across his arm which she hadn't realized was lost, and wrapped it around her.

"You're crazy!' Marlene exclaimed, peering down at the streets below. "But I trust you," she said, hugging him affectionately. Kadaj beamed. Marlene offered him half of a blanket, and he accepted. Now the two figures sat, side by side under one blanket, on the roof of a cathedral watching the snow fall.

"Marlene?" Kadaj asked. She turned to him.

"Yes?'

"I missed you."

"We're together now," Marlene smiled sweetly and so did he. She traced a pattern on the thin layer of crisp snow. It was cold and delightful. "Here," Marlene said, "hold out your hand." Kadaj did as he was told. Marlene then slid off the leather glove that protected him from touch.

"The air is very cold," Kadaj admitted, making a fist with his ungloved hand and stretching his fingers.

"Feel it," Marlene encouraged, letting the powder sift through her fingers. Kadaj ran his hand over the roof and gasped at the icy touch. He scooped up a handful and clenched it to his closed fist.

He then offered it to Marlene who set it back gently They sat then, for a long time.

It was perfect silence. Neither Kadaj nor Marlene had ever heard such a beautiful thing. The air was still and black with big billowing clouds camouflaged on the dark. They gazed at their city below, proud to be associated with such a mystery.

The snow was an exquisite accessory. Kadaj gazed in wonder at the tiny crystals that floated and danced their way down. There were now several icy flakes embedded into Marlene's dark hair. She looked lovely.

They looked. They no longer spoke. The silence on the cathedral roof was unbreakable. Pure. Magic. Marlene learned that not all things can be said with words.

She saw Kadaj's eyes—filled with wonder and amazement at such a beauty, and Marlene's heart suddenly felt like it was going to lunge at her friend as she felt wave after wave of love for this boy.

They sat for a long time, engaged in the sultry fragility below and around them, disregarding time and cold.

And then, the flakes gradually became fewer and fewer until eventually, they ceased altogether, leaving Midgar a world of frost and white.

Marlene sighed contentedly. "Is that it—the end?" Kadaj asked, afraid of the answer. "What now?" He asked. Marlene acknowledged the missing moment, and shook the snow out of her hair and smiled.

"Well, if you take me back down I'll show you 'what now'!"

**XxXxXx**

**So I divided this scene into probably about three chapters because it's so long. Hope it doesn't confuse anyone! Please drop me a review!**


	11. Chapter Ten: Trust

**Hello everyone and happy Fourth-Of-July weekend! If you have any crazy fireworks stories lemme hear 'em! Anyway, here's another chapter for ya'll, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Ten: Trust

"Alright," Kadaj replied, his curiosity piqued, "get on my back."

Once again Marlene climbed onto his back, clutching determinedly at both Kadaj's neck and her blanket. Once again the silver-haired boy scaled his way through the cathedral walls. Though she kept her eyes shut, Marlene trusted Kadaj,. After all, he had gotten her _up_ the cathedral walls safely, hadn't he?

Once Marlene's feet touched solid ground once more, she beckoned Kadaj to follow her.

"Where are we going now?" He asked. Marlene only beamed.

"You've been to my school once before, haven't you?" She asked as they walked. Kadaj nodded. "_That's_ where we're going."

"Why there? I thought you didn't like it there," Kadaj remarked. Marlene's smile grew bigger and all she said was:  
"It's not _all_ bad."

"Will it take very long to walk to?" Kadaj asked, following Marlene down the street.

"Not at all, it's only a five minute walk from my house," she answered.

"Why are you driven then?" Kadaj inquired. Marlene only shrugged.

"It's too dangerous. At least that's what my Daddy says. He says there's many bad people in Midgar. Dangerous people."

"People like me?" He asked, his eyes focused on the way ahead of him. Marlene looked away uncomfortably.

"He doesn't know you," she said.

"Maybe he just doesn't know Midgar."

". . . Maybe . . . we're here now," Marlene said, pointing ahead of them to the large brick building and its parking lot.

"I see . . ." Kadaj's voice trailed off, somewhat confused as he stared, head tilted, as if seeing the large, looming school building at an angle would improve his sight of it. Marlene giggled.

"You haven't seen the back of it yet," she said. "C'mon!" She took his hand and led them around the building. Kadaj's eyes narrowed at the sight. They stood in a large field. The strange part about this field was that large steel ornaments stuck out of the ground in odd shapes, filling it almost completely.

"What is it?" He asked, tilting his head even more to get a different perspective.

"It's a playground!"

Kadaj turned to reply to her—but noticed the small child was no longer beside him.  
'Marlene? Marlene where are—" he panicked. "Marlene?!" _Wham!_ Kadaj stumbled forward and his eyes bugged out as an icy projectile slammed into the back of his neck. Kadaj whirled around to face his attack—oh. Marlene, smiled mischievously.

"What game is this?" He asked suspiciously, rubbing the back of his neck. Marlene held up a handful of packed-in snow.

"Snowball fight," she answered, her dark eyes dancing, and flung the snowball at his chest, landing a soft _whomp_ and drifting harmlessly to the ground. Kadaj quickly caught on. At once he grinned and quickly scooped up two snowballs, making sure they landed right in Marlene's face as she shrieked and giggled, running to hide behind one of the metal contraptions while she made more snowballs.

Kadaj narrowly ducked to avoid one of Marlene's flying spheres of doom, and in return, made a meager attempt to hit her from behind another, but missed her metal pole altogether.

As he was hit in the leg with a snowball, Kadaj thought of his brothers fondly. Loz would _love_ this new game.

His brothers . . . he looked at the sky. They had time. They still had time. He was lugged out of his reverie by a double attack to his hip and chest.

"Do you surrender?" Marlene asked playfully. Kadaj smiled and held up his arms.

"You win," he confessed, getting to his feet.

"_Finally_," she grinned, breathing out frosty air. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold. "Want to sit down a minute?" He nodded and she led him to one of the largest structures there.

"What is it?" He asked doubtfully, looking it over.

"It's a swing set! You sit in it—like this!" Marlene plopped herself down in one of the thick seats and Kadaj followed. They sat a few minutes in silence, collecting their breath.

"Kadaj, what time is it?" Asked Marlene.

"Nearly three in the morning," he replied, looking up at the sky. "What time does your father get up?" Kadaj asked.

Marlene sighed—she had hoped that they'd avoid the topic . . . but she figured it was quite inevitable.

"Around 5:30," she admitted. But to her surprise, the boy brightened.

"That means we've got a whole two and a half hours left, then don't we? What do you wanna do?"

Marlene giggled, "well, there's not much we _can_ do once the police get on the road again. We can't let anyone see us."

"Ah," Kadaj cocked an eyebrow, "but there is. Loz and Yazoo have both been dying to see you," he offered mischievously. Marlene's eyes brightened.

"_Really_?" She asked eagerly, "you'd _really _take me to see them?"

"Of course! We have to leave now though—like I said—we're out on the outskirts of town."

"How are we going to get there so quickly?" Marlene questioned, hopping out of her swing.

"My bike—I parked it just a few blocks away. We should be able to get there in 20 minutes or so—if we can drive fast enough." Which, he thought, they easily could.

"Thank you Kadaj!" She squealed, hugging him from his swing. He smiled at her.

"Let's get going."

**XxXxXx**

When they reached his bike—perched tentatively against an alleyway building, a flash of panic gripped her as an image of being dragged away from Tifa filled her mind. Loz's bike . . . But this wasn't Loz and this wasn't Reunion. Still, the bike looked black and ominous as it loomed above her.

Kadaj grinned.

"Ready?"

"More than."

Kadaj swung her up easily in his arms and seated her in the large leather seat. Then he too climbed up top of the bike, behind her, and Marlene gripped the handles as it swayed dangerously under their weight.

She had never thought to doubt Cloud when he drove her around, but Kadaj was much slimmer than Cloud, and his bike was much bulkier.

"This . . . is going to be safe . . . right?" She whispered as Kadaj settled in behind her.

Kadaj's eyes gleamed. He loved his bike.

"This," he smiled, snaking his arms around her waist, "is going to be _fun_."

Marlene took a breath and the fact that there were no helmets around did not go unnoticed by her.

"Still trust me?"

"You're driving me out of town on a bike bigger than Cloud's with only one hand to steer and no helmets," she said carefully.

"Yep."

"I _told_ you that you were trouble," she smirked.

Kadaj inserted the key into the ignition and twisted. The machine rolled to life. Kadaj's boot pumped the acceleration and the bike revved wildly.

It bucked backward and Marlene slammed backward into Kadaj's chest.

"Sorry," he grunted, forcing the bike around into the street. "This might be a wild ride."

"I trust you, you know," Marlene reminded him. Kadaj grinned.

"I know." They sped away.

_Okay_.

**XxXxXx**

**So, like it? Love it? _Hate_ it even? Love to hear from ya! Oh yeah! OMG Major, major, MAJOR plot twist! TWO main plot twists!!1!!11!!eleven! Sadly, they're not coming up for a bit, but I was really excited so I had to spill _somewhere_. Hmm...anything else before I don't update for another week?**

**Oh yeah! Ilada, this one's for you: I started a new LOTR fanfic about a week ago (it's a-gonna be _epic_) and it's a Legolas AU. YOUR story was actually the one that inspired it (don't worry, it's completely different!) and I wanted to know if I could use your name in the dedicatiooooon! -Sings- Well, get back to me!**

**Thanks everybody! (Wow, this was a long Author's Note!)**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Breaking Dawn

**Okay so first of all, since I'm pretty sure I didn't get to replying to most of the reviews I got, thank you all for them, and I really appreciate it! Secondly, I'm proud to say that I broke 100 pages with this story, 'Temples Of Gold', alone! Yay for me! Lol, and I've still got a ways to go xD. Well, this chapter is dedicated to theeee one and only 'Breaking Dawn'--fourth in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer that comes out in only a few weeks! Ooh, exciting! Since I live in Washington, I'm going up to Forks with a few friends to celebrate! Chyeah! Well, I'm sure you've got better things to do than listening to all my summer excavations (like reading the next chapter!) so I'll letcha go. Ta now!**

Chapter Eleven: Breaking Dawn

"Are we almost there?" Marlene whispered as the motorbike slowed to a barely audible sputter some 20 minutes later.

"Almost," Kadaj concurred, gripping her tightly. They approached a black forest, leaving the barren plains and hills—otherwise known as the Outskirts of Midgar.

Kadaj switched on the headlights as they plunged into blackness.

Marlene clung to Kadaj's arm around her and tried not to be frightened by the stiff-looking trees with arm-like branches that scratched at her as they moved down the twisting path.

Finally, suddenly, they stopped and Kadaj shut off the engine. And the lights.

"We've arrived," he sighed, like he was very tired.

"What? You've been living _here_? In the cold?"

Kadaj grinned, "well—not quite." He reached over and flicked the bike's lights twice before again cutting them off.

The response was a bright glam from above, piercing the intimidating darkness and Marlene had to squint to look up at it. She noticed that the light was coming from the trees!

"Marlene?" A silky voice inquired from above. "Loz—get some light on! He brought Marlene back!"

Instantly the place was flooded with a warm yellow light that Marlene's deep hazel eyes had to adjust to.

When she regained her vision, Marlene's jaw dropped at the sight above her.

"Like it?" Kadaj smiled. Marlene nodded dumbly. "I thought you might."

For it wasn't everyday one spotted an entire mansion . . . _built into the trees_!

And that's exactly what it was. Only a few feet from them, a thick, vastly tall tree trunk had steps carved into it for a make-shift ladder Eventually, maybe 50 feet up, the 'stairs' led to a nicely finished and glossed wooden patio complete with porch swing and outside lamp.

Beyond the patio to the right was where the actual house was. Marlene noticed a modern, dark stone base lining, chimney, and roof where the walls were the same, sturdy wood.

The crooked yet sturdy house stretched up and out over several layers of trees with a chimney—puffing smoke—popped out in the middle.

It was a work of architectural art, to say the least. It provided a warm and beautiful contrast to the black woods surrounding them.

"Would you like to come in?" Kadaj offered. "It's a bit of a climb, but I'll help you," he said, guiding her to the large tree.

She felt for the first foothold, and began to climb, feeling Kadaj right behind her.

Once she reached the top, she fell into Yazoo's arms, quickly embracing him before greeting Loz in the same way. Her eyes shone as she was reunited with the two oldest brothers.

"I missed you!" Loz exclaimed, his face bright in the light.

"Things aren't the same without you," Yazoo admitted.

"Save the sentiment for inside," Kadaj scolded, rolling his eyes and shoving the two boys inside, "it's _cold_ out here."

"Did you build this?" Marlene asked, awe-struck as a heavenly warmth flowed over her, stepping inside.

Kadaj shut the door behind him and paused to admire their little house.

They stood in a large, cabin-like spacious living room, glowing yellow from the several lamps and large fire place at the far end of the room.There were several, soft-colored throw rugs thrown over the old but polished wood floor and bright, streaky paintings of sunsets and waterfalls hung on the walls. There were three leather couches piled with blankets surrounding the fireplace.

"Build _this_? In a week? Hardly!" Yazoo exclaimed. Marlene looked around. The place looked fully furnished.

"We continued North after Vincent dropped us off. The forest seemed almost friendly to us at that point, but when we came across this," Kadaj gestured to the house, "well, we were glad we had somewhere to go for the winter."

"Sit down," Loz urged, guiding them to a couch across from the fire. Marlene gladly sat down, enjoying the heat of the fire absorb into her skin.

"So then who built it?" She asked curiously. Kadaj joined her on the couch as Yazoo answered.

"It's not completely abandoned . . . we think it's a sort of summer home for vacationing. There's no reason for anybody to be here during this time of the year."

"We figured no one would even know we were staying here if we kept it clean and didn't move anything around," Loz said worriedly.

"It's only temporary anyway," Kadaj said dismissively.

"Would you like a tour?" Loz asked brightly. "This place is _huge_!" Marlene's heart sank.

"I can't Loz," she sighed dejectedly, "there's no time. By the time I get back home, Daddy will be waking up. I have to be back by then," she said sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Home . . ." Yazoo muttered. Loz and Kadaj exchanged a glance.

"You've only just got here though!" Loz protested. Marlene's face softened.

"I know," she said quietly, "but at least I got to come out here. At least I got to see you." She stood up. "Would you take me back, Kadaj?" Se asked.

"Back _home_?" He asked.

"Um, yeah . . ." He nodded and stood up, taking out his keys.

They walked to the door, Loz taking long strides with them.

"You're _not_ leaving without a hug," Loz grinned, engulfing Marlene in a bear hug. She smiled, squeezing him back.

"See you Loz."

"I better," he warned. Marlene turned to a sullen Yazoo, still on the couch.

"Yazoo," she said hesitantly, "I'll miss you." Yazoo looked up, rolled his beautiful green eyes, and stood, slowly walking to her.

"If I must," he grumbled, his tall form awkwardly hugging her small frame before smoothing her sleek brown hair affectionately. "I don't want you to go," he said seriously.

"Me neither," she sighed. The brothers exchanged another glance.

"Ready?" Kadaj asked quietly. Marlene nodded and they opened the door and climbed back down the tree, feeling the icy air slap them in the face as they did so.

They straddled Kadaj's bulky bike and sped away for Midgar.

**XxXxXx**

They stopped maybe a quarter mile from Midgar—the border between the flatlands and the city unnecessarily clear. The sky was now navy blue with hints of green spattering it. Marlene was confused.

"What are we doing?" She whispered to him. "Are we stopping here? It's almost dawn!"

Kadaj didn't move. "Marlene look at me," he said, a slight tone of warning laced through his calm voice. A tone that made Marlene's head snap to his and she found her eyes transfixed on green portals. "I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want to leave you either," she said, distrusting that voice.

"You don't have to," he said. Marlene's face twisted.

""I don't understand . . ."

Kadaj's eyes darted nervously from Midgar to Marlene and he drew a quick breath. "You could come with us. With me."

The world landed a somersault.

"G-go with you," she stammered. Kadaj braced himself for the worst. "I don't know . . . I . . ."

Kadaj bit his lip as dawn crawled forward. "There's not much time . . ." he said quietly. "If we're going to go, we gotta go _now_."

Marlene stared at Midgar. She had a side to take. She thought of Cloud and his mako-blue eyes. _Sometimes I don't know why I let myself live_.

Tifa—beautiful and angry. _You think by driving your bike down to the ends of the Earth you're going to get away from the past?!_

Daddy. Her very own Daddy. Her only daddy. Well, her only daddy after Dyne. _I don't know you. I don't __**know **__you!_

She turned to Kadaj, who was struck a moment by how far they had come since a month and a half before. She looked at the sky. _Any day now, Marlene!_

She smiled dangerously.

"I'm going to need some winter clothes. Think we can beat the sun?" She challenged. Kadaj revved his bike and grinned.

"Night creatures, after all," he said, and he slammed his foot down on the accelerator, screeching forward to the city ahead of them.

**XxXxXx**

"I won't take long," Marlene muttered. The pair were now back in Marlene's room, hurriedly gathering a few personal belongings and clothes into a few bags before they left.

"Marlene, hand me your backpack," Kadaj commanded from the left side of the room where Marlene was working from the right. Marlene glanced at her yellow backpack hanging on the door handle before yanking it off.

They both stopped, frozen a moment as the doorknob twisted loudly with a click as the strap pulled it. When nothing happened, they let out a breath of relief and only worked faster, Kadaj stuffing folded clothes into her backpack and Marlene picking up random little things she thought she might need or want.

By the time they were done they had three full packs of Marlene's belongings. Kadaj slung Marlene onto his back, leaped out the window, landing deftly on his toes, and climbing onto his bike. Marlene swung her head to glance up at her house—she saw her father's shadow in the window. He was awake.

"Drive," she whispered urgently. Kadaj didn't have to be told twice. Engine roaring, Kadaj practically lunged to push off the bike and within seconds they had disappeared—determinedly set to the sun ahead of them. It was 5:36 AM.

**XxXxXx**

**So, that's all for now. I'll update Wednesday since I waited an extra week to post. Catch ya'll on the wrong side of the track (oh, and pleez review!)**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Reactions

**Hello everyone, wow--two updates in one week? What is this world coming to? And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. What's AVALANCHE gonna do when they find out? Keep reading! Keep reading, I urge you!**

**But first, a warning. This rating has been moved up to 'T' for future sequences of, erm, things that aren't that graphic, but just a bit too graphic for a K rating. Oh, and there is also some potentially offensive Barret-language in this chapter...and in a few more to come. Sorry everyone!**

Chapter Twelve: Reactions

Barret Wallace groggily turned over in bed as his alarm clock shrieked obnoxiously at 5:30 AM. Ugh, he remembered he had a company meeting that day. He had been at his job long enough to know that _those_ were not proof that God loved them.

Well, if Marlene was gonna be at school on time, he better get the ball rolling. He slammed a button down on his clock.

He walked across the room to his personal bathroom and paused, listening to a motorcycle roar off in the distance. Cloud must've gotten an early start.

He showered, and 20 minutes later, stepped out of his bathroom clad in trademark Barret gear: a white, fishnet shirt, and a throw-on leather jacket and pants—nothin' less baby! Yeah, he realized that his company had something of a dress code, but most people seemed to be forgiving when you've saved the planet a few times.

After gearing up he stepped down the hall to where Marlene's door lay closed. He stepped up to it. "Marlene?" He called softly, knocking a few times. No answer. He tried the doorknob.

Locked.

Marlene _never_ locked her door.

"Marlene?" He asked, loud enough to penetrate through the walls. No answer. Warning bells blared in Barret's mind.

"Marlene, if you're awake, open this door!" Something like suspicion chewed at his brain. "Marlene, if you're in there, get to a wall," Barret warned. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

He swung his left arm back and let loose, full throttle catapulting his iron machine gun through the door like a battering ram. The center of the door exploded, sending wooden splinters careening through the room.

Barret Wallace jammed his good arm through the hole, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Barret Wallace stopped short.

Marlene's closet had been torn through.

Her belongings lay strewn along the floor as if someone had dug through her things.

Her window curtains had been yanked to the side revealing an open window.

Marlene wasn't in her bed.

_Marlene_ wasn't in her bed.

Marlene wasn't _in her bed_.

"Marlene?" Barret half-whispered, half-croaked. Numb, he stumbled to the center of the room, eyes darting to the ceiling and the corners—hoping it was a trick. Hoping . . .

. . . Was smothered as soon as he turned to her dresses and saw the note stuck to the edge in pink-flowered stationary in Marlene's sweetly written, large pen.

_Dear Daddy,_

_I went to go with my friends. I know nobody likes them but they realy are nice so pleas don't be mad at me. I love you and I wont get hurt._

_Love Marlene_

His heart threatened to beat itself out of his chest.

Kidnapping, runaways, notes, hiding, ransom, anger, money, lies, visits, and windows flew through his head.

He lunged toward the window like a rampaging bull. A blue and yellow morning sky . . . She was gone.

"MARLENE!"

**XxXxXx**

Cloud snapped his phone open midway through the second ring and answered.

"Hello?"

Barret's voice filled the other line with thickness and tension. "Cloud, where are you?"

The blonde stopped short. Barret hadn't greeted him with 'yo' _or_ 'spiky'. Something was wrong.

"I'm at Seventh Heaven—where I am most every morning, man. What's wrong?"

"She's gone, Cloud. Her window's open and the note says she's with her friends and her stuff is all over the floor!" The big black man wasn't one to babble, but in this instance he was definitely border-lined.

"Whoa," Cloud stopped. "Wait—Marlene's gone?" He couldn't be hearing what he thought he was hearing.

"That's what I'm saying! Cloud we've got to _do_ something! She could be miles away by now—who knows _where_ they took her!"

"Someone _took_ her? Why would any—"

_Oh._

"Get over here Barret. I'll tell Tifa. We'll find her." Cloud slammed his phone shut in his fist, absolutely livid with anger and fear.

Those bastards.

Those sick, slimy bastards.

The thought of those men—particularly Kadaj—taking away Marlene unleashed a feral animal from deep within Cloud's core and crawled up through his throat and settled in the back of his skull.

He felt free.

He wanted to puke.

He stepped down the remaining stairs and met Tifa's wary eyes with his own glassy ones.

"Marlene's been kidnapped," he said, "by the Remnants."

Tifa dropped the wooden spoon she'd been carrying and lifted a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my god."

"Barret's on his way and I'm—"

Speak of the devil. Barret stormed inside, the front door slamming behind him.

"_Barret_," Tifa breathed as he reached them, putting a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it away.

"I've got to _find_ her _now_. Cloud, you find out what ShinRa knows about this. Tifa—call Vincent and find out where he took them. I'm gonna search the city myself. Call me when Vince tells ya." Cloud was already half way out the door.

"Um . . . Barret?" Tifa asked with a small voice.

"What?" He snapped angrily. Tifa looked at the floor.

"Vincent . . . doesn't _have_ a phone . . . remember?"

"GodDAMN him!" Barret roared. He grabbed his keys from his pocket. "_Where'd_ he go?"

"You're not going to go after him are you?" Tifa asked.

"Fuck no. _You're_ gonna go after him. _I'm_ going to find my daughter." Tifa had learned it was just best to go along with Barret's every whim when he started to really swear.

"He's not that far—Kinoa's only an hour and a half going the speed limit and I can cut it down to 45 minutes . . . well . . . _not_ going the speed limit," Tifa paused. "What's that?" She asked gently, gesturing to the paper that Barret clutched in his hand. He looked down at the paper.

"It's—it's a note," Barret said, holding his head in his hand despondently after offering it to Tifa.

As she read it, her heart sank.

"Oh _no_ . . ."

**XxXxXx**

Cloud ignored the stares he received from various scientists, officials, and SOLDIERS-in-training as he marched through ShinRa's headquarter building. He stopped at an elevator that would take him straight to the headman.

A slender, amateur-looking young blonde woman in a black business suit ran up to him nervously. Her security badge read "Eerin Rhys'.

"Um . . . you need a pass from the department to access this wing," she rushed timidly.

Cloud nodded at the buster sword on his back. "See this?" The woman paled. "_Move_." Cloud entered the elevator without further obstacle or hindrance.

He strode at a brisk, angry pace down the metal highway and stopped at the end of the hall where a large set of heavy metal doors set, rather threateningly. Cloud jabbed at a number on a control pad on the wall next to them and with a slow _woosh_ the doors opened.

"Ah, Cloud. It's certainly been a long time," Rufus greeted, sitting at a large glass computer desk with chrome lining. He leaned contentedly back in his padded swivel chair and gestured for Cloud to advance. Tseng and Reno stood on either side of him.

"Where. _Are_ they." Cloud said blackly.

"I'm presuming you're speaking of the three remnants who were found alive last week—is that it?"

The blonde leader of ShinRa-Incorporated shook his head.

"I thought you knew first hand. Didn't you have them escorted out of Midgar personally?"

"They have Marlene," Cloud said slowly, speaking through gritted teeth.

"Wasn't she the one who found them in the first place? Barret's kid?" Reno asked, confused.

"Tell me what you know about this," Cloud growled.

"I'm afraid there's nothing to tell," Rufus replied. "We kept tabs on Marlene, but it was off and on. I'm sorry. We don't know anything." They weren't lying. The pain of it was in their confused voices.

"You don't . . . know . . ." Cloud dropped his head and ran a hand up over his face and through his hair. He breathed. Looked at the ceiling.

"ShinRa would offer its services to help find the girl," Tseng said, speaking up for the first time. Both Rufus and Reno looked up at him. "It's only right."

"You're involved in a _mission_, already, Tseng," Rufus reminded him. Tseng looked at Cloud.

"Yeah—but—Reno isn't."

"What? Me? I had to deal with those beasties _once_ already thank you!" Reno exclaimed. Tseng nodded at the lanky Turk.

"So have I." Tseng reminded him. Cloud re-examined the jagged scar that ran from Tseng's forehead to the lower left portion of his jaw. I was the only give-away that he had been kidnapped and tortured ruthlessly—along with Elena—by those three silver-haired men.

"Tseng's quite right," Rufus decided. Reno blew out a breath, but was quiet. "Take any resources you need—leave the finances to me. Weapons, vehicles, you got it." Cloud nodded before Rufus continued. "I hop that my resources can make up for the lack of information ShinRa can offer you.

"When do we leave?" Reno questioned.

"Now." Cloud replied.

"Find them, Cloud," Tseng said, and his eyes flashed quietly. Dangerously.

"Good luck."

Reno and Cloud swiftly stalked back down through the main level.

"Where do you reckon we start looking?" Reno questioned, almost having to jog to keep up with Cloud's quick gait.

"Let me call Barret—he's searching locally." They stopped outside where Cloud's bike sat patiently. Cloud whipped out his phone.

"Barret? Yeah I'm here. Already done; any luck?" A pause.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me. Well, I got the go from Rufus for supplies and Reno's here. What do you need us to do?" Another pause. "Okay. Bye." Click.

"What does he have to be kidding you about?" Reno asked once he was done.

"Barret's not getting any local help from the law—police and federal agents. They're not willing to take the risk of 'another reunion'." Reno scoffed.

"We _are_ the law," he said, disgusted.

"Apparently. Get on the bike—we're going shopping." Cloud straddled the metal machine and gestured for Reno to do the same.

"Get on _that_ bike?" Reno asked doubtfully. "With _you_? I don't think so Cloudy. The media's sayin' enough shit about you and me as it is. Reputation, y'know."

"_Reno_," Cloud said in a death purr. "Need I remind you that Marlene's been kidnapped by three of the most dangerous people alive?"

"Right. That's right. Sorry." Reno got on.

"_Good_."

**XxXxXx**

**Expect a lot more of Reno, folks. Please review!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Never Too Late

**Alright everyone, how is everyone? Who else stayed up until midnight at Borders at the Breaking Dawn release party?! -Crickets Chirp- Okay, I know, I'm a Twilight geek, but in all honesty, that book is freaking FANTASTIC!! If you guys are fans of the series or have even gotten around to reading it yet, tell me about it and we can rant about Bella's little...situation together! Yay!**

**Okay, I'm warning you all, this chapter's got angst in it, and some serious character development. The next few might be..._like_ that. Hope it doesn't put you off.**

Chapter Thirteen: Never Too Late

"Where are you Vincent?" Tifa muttered to herself as she steered the black Ferrari down the highway. Her hands were shaking and sticky against the wheel. She wiped them. No good. Tifa blew out a breath and locked her quaking jaw. She would _not_ cry, even though it was her fault. She'd been so _distant_ towards Marlene when the girl had needed her most of all. And she was so little! That in itself was enough to bring tear—No! Tifa slowly, pointedly accelerated, focusing all of her energy and intensity into her right foot.

She decided to think about Cloud instead. And how he let those _bastards_ go. How. _Could_ he? All Kadaj had to do was mention Aeris's name and he had the planet's best SOLDIER melting into the palm of his hand. _Now_ look what happened. Tifa tapped her thumb in a quiet, angry rhythm against the steering wheel. Damn you Cloud. _Damn_ you. Her thoughts strayed to Barret. _Barret_ had lost his best friend too. But did you see _Barret_ throwing himself away and whittling down to an emotional shell? No! Even through Barret losing his daughter . . . even through Tifa losing . . . _her_ daughter.

Tears pricked her eyes. Tifa swallowed, and with a shaking hand reached for the radio dial. Music. Noise. _Anything_ to distract. She pressed the power.

_"Once upon a time I saw something beautiful, once upon a time I thought 'you and I'_." A male voice with a guitar crooned. Tifa growled. _Cloud_. She swiftly rolled to a different station.

"_Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't someone come take me home?!"_ The tears returned. Marlene . . . Tifa took a deep breath and turned the station one more time.

"And now we interrupt with a special report. It seems that renowned AVALANCHE leader, Barret Wallace, has filed a missing person's report for adopted daughter Marlene, who, as we all know, was found with the Remnants just over a week ago."

_Marlene, I'm sorry. I'm so . . . sorry!_ The weight of the world on her shoulders, Tifa switched off the radio quietly. Something outside through her rearview caught her eye. Black smoke trickled from the back of the car. Something was wrong. Her car began to stall. Tifa bit her lip. The highway wasn't very crowded. There were a few cars but it seemed that not many people were interested in joy-riding at 6:30 on a Saturday morning.

The car was fading quickly and Tifa was barely able to pull off to the side of the road as the car went completely dead. Tifa closed her eyes and let her head thump against the headrest. _Now_ what? After a moment or so she twisted her car door open and stepped out, immediately wishing she'd brought a jacket. Snow slushed against the sides of the road.

Wrapping her bare arms around herself, she took out her cell phone and dialed Cloud's number.

_Please, __**please**__, pick up!_ She begged, terrified of what would happen if he didn't. She chewed her lip as the phone rang twice. Then three. Four. _Six_.

And guess _what_, Tifa.

Cloud didn't _answer his phone_.

Pow.

Something like knives ripped open her heart and a dry sob wrenched through her throat. She closed her phone and tears began to fall quickly and freely. The emotion was suddenly beyond her. She sobbed into her left hand, sucking mouthfuls of quick breath. She looked up and with blurry eyes she saw a big 18-wheel truck advertising 'Chippers Potato Chips' pull up to her. Wonderful. Here she was having her own _personal_ emotional breakdown and someone _had_ to have the decency to notice.

The driver of the truck jumped down after switching off his vehicle and started towards her. He was the big n' beefy gorilla type; maybe in his mid-40s with a ruddy face and a wife-beater T-shirt that barely managed to contain his bulging shoulders.

"Hey—you need any help?" He asked her. She wiped her wet face with her right hand and looked at the ground, ashamed. She shook her head 'no'. The man gave her a once-over. Then, after a moment of silence, he decidedly stepped up to her car and pried open the hood.

"Wow—you gotta real mess in here," he remarked as he picked his way through an engine that was awash with black smoke and liquid. Tifa was silent, but made no move to stop him. "Aha. Problem solved—broken valve. See, look." Tifa looked. The man wiped his now-greasy hands on his baggy black jeans. "I was an engineer in another life—prob'ly a good thing for you, since I carry spare parts around with me now." He began the trek back to his truck, threw open the side-door and began to rummage around for a few minutes. When he turned back around, he had the thick, black tube in his hands.

"It's actually pretty easy to replace, you know," he said as he bent over Tifa's car once more. "Out with the old, in with the new." He tossed the old valve onto the snowy ground. "And you're set," he concluded cheerfully. He smiled then. He had a nice smile. Tifa managed to screw her lips upward just enough to pass for one in return. He smiled wider. "Well, I better get goin'. My boss is a prick and a half. Wouldn't want to be late for my _important_ delivery." He rolled his eyes at the potato-chip logo. He hopped back into his truck, started the engine, and offered a congenial wave.

"You take care now," and the truck rumbled back onto the highway.

Tifa looked up ahead of her, watching the truck drive away. She glanced at her keys and seated herself in the driver's seat. Inserted the key. The car started up with a gentle purr and ran smoothly for the rest of the way.

**XxXxXx**

"Marlene, you wait here—I'm going to put the bike away," Kadaj said. Marlene looked up at him with eyes that showed something like forlornness.

"They'll be looking for me, won't they?" She asked. Kadaj took her hand. And let it go.

"We'll talk," he promised. Behind their tree-house there was a well-hidden trap door that led to an underground sort of basement. That was where Loz, Yazoo, and himself had unanimously decided to store their motorcycles. Kadaj flung open the heavy door and dragged the heavy machine down the sturdy wooden ramp that Loz had set in. When the bike was set in place, he shut the door again and stayed there a second, alone in the cold forest and a little tired. Then he smiled to himself because the air was clear and a small bird somewhere nearby was singing brightly. He stood and walked back to Marlene who quietly waited for his return.

"Ready?" He asked. "And up!" He hoisted her onto the stairs and as they climbed, Kadaj noted it looked like Marlene was growing tired as well.

When they got to the top, Kadaj pushed open the door, escorting her inside. Marlene seated herself back on the couch in front of the fire while Kadaj ripped open a bag of popcorn they'd found in the cupboards earlier in the week and set to work on popping it in the small, portable microwave in the otherwise old-fashioned and cabin-like kitchen. When it finished, Kadaj plopped himself down beside Marlene and scooped out a handful of popcorn, offering it, then, to her. She took some.

"I guess Loz and Yazoo are sleeping then," Marlene said. Kadaj nodded.

"Yeah," he said quietly, and he saw the reality of what she had done dawn in her eyes.

"They'll be surprised, I think." Marlene's face quivered.

"Very," Kadaj agreed softly.

"And . . . happy?" Her face screwed up. She was trying not to cry.

"Ecstatic," Kadaj whispered. And as relief and regret melted into soft tears on her face, Kadaj wordlessly wrapped his arms around her as she cried. Kadaj leaned his head back and closed his eyes, his thumb absently stroking Marlene's head. Busy day. Eventually Marlene stopped crying, her tears reduced to the occasional sniffle. And they both drifted asleep. The perfect image of dreams, sacrifice, and buttered popcorn.

**XxXxXx**

_I love you, Daddy. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Daddy_. Barret's jaw kept clenched as he ransacked Downtown Midgar. If he were three evil Remnants who had kidnapped a little girl, where would he be? He had to _find_ her.

A club, maybe? Some seedy, shit-hole motel? The thought made him taste bile and he retched in an alley behind a dumpster. What if the worst had happened? Then his next thought stopped him cold in his tracks. What if the worst had happened long before? And he'd gloated like a pig about his _great new_ job.

He tasted himself in the next round of bile that reached his throat. Revulsion. Sickly revulsion. Barret locked his prosthetic gun and almost spat at the impersonal touch of it. He wanted to murder that son of a bitch with his _bare hands_. Fuck Cloud and his 'grudge'. _Maybe_ when Barret had his way with Kadaj, he'd let him watch.

**XxXxXx**

"So I've got a few M16s, cherry bombs, spare Materia, and a handful of miscellaneous combat weapons. Anything else we could add to the list?" Reno asked, pacing back and forth, holding a small tablet and a black pen that he tapped against his chin every few moments.

"Maybe some of that petroleum stuff—for the bikes and cars," Cloud suggested, his vision hazing in and out. He leaned against a metal wall of the crowded ShinRa warehouse.

"Right," Reno affirmed, scratching it down on his notepad, "oil. Hey Cloud, you need some water or somethin'? You're not looking so good." He waited a few moments for Strife's response.

"I'm actually very much at peace with myself, Reno," Cloud said, closing his eyes and letting his head thump against the steel.

"And how's that?" Reno asked distracted, scribbling some more in the tablet.

"Well, I've decided that after I kill Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo . . . I'm going to kill _myself_."

Reno looked up.

"Uh . . . come again?" He asked, fixing his green eyes squarely on the blonde's distant face. Hi eyebrows dipped into a strange combination of concern and disbelief.

"Come on, Reno. Don't make me say it again."

Reno's eyebrows arched to their highest. Yeah, Cloud had always had this angsty emo aura about him . . . but suicide? For real? He's _got_ to be joking. But he _can't_ be joking—his little girl's just been _kidnapped_.

"Yep," Cloud said, standing straight up and adjusting the buster on his back, "I think that' what I'm gonna do." He plucked the tablet coolly from Reno's hand. "Don't you think we'll need a couple of air pistols?"

Reno guided the table down and locked eyes with Cloud. "You need help," he said pointedly.

"No," Cloud said, "Marlene does. So let's find her." Cloud slapped the order down at the counter after walking away and began to discuss the weapons with the man at the gate, supervising the deliveries.

Reno glanced at his cell phone. Should he inform Ruf about the turn of said 'plot'? No, he decided, dropping the phone back into the flat pocket of his loose, black suit. He'd wait a bit. Maybe it was just some kind of weird, passing mood. Hopefully. Reno would look out for him, though. Definitely. The Turk's generally-laughing green eyes softened as he watched the quiet young man in front of him and he saw Cloud-The-Soldier in a vicarious new light. Reno met Cloud as he finished ordering their supplies. They walked away to the exit and blinked at the sunlight in front of them.

"It'll be alright, y'know," Reno told the wounded man. Cloud blinked and stared straight ahead as they stood by the bike.

"It's too late," he said, "think about it—three young men kidnap a little girl and they don't leave a ransom note." Cloud stared ahead. "Who's to say she hasn't been gang-raped and left for dead somewhere and it's only a matter of time before Barret finds her."

Cloud took a breath. It shook. Reno listened, stoic and serious.

"And," the word was choked. Cloud tried to clear his throat. "A-and this time . . . it really is all my fault. The _one_ person that really . . . and I've killed her. By not killing them."

Reno wordlessly led Cloud around to the back of the warehouse. They had at least an hour before their stuff would be ready. Cloud slunk to a sitting position in the narrow alley while Reno took a seat opposite of him, leaning against the warehouse building.

"It's not too late, Cloud," Reno said. "We can _find_ her. We can help her."

"But don't you see?!" Cloud's voice was raw and husky. "She will be _gone_. We will never know her again. Look at me—everything I touch, everything I ever cherished—_gone_. Sephiroth told me he would never be a memory. He told me he would take it away. It's inevitable. It's my fault. I don't _deserve_ to live!" Cloud cried, pleading for understanding from Reno. But at this, the young Turk exploded.

"_Deserve_, Cloud? _Deserve_? _You _saved the planet—twice!"

"I know what I am!" Cloud yelled back.

"So do I!" Reno roared, jumping to his feet and jabbing a finger down at the man's chest. "_You_, Cloud Strife, are a god-damned _hero_! And on this planet, it doesn't matter if you deserve to or not—the fact is we _need_ you to survive. Need. Got it? For people like you and me, _late isn't an option_."

Reno quieted a moment. "It's never too late, Cloud." And was silent.

Cloud moaned.

**XxXxXx**

**Please review.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Plans

**Wow, I'm pretty sure I've outdone myself in lateness. Of course, if I do say so myself, I've got pretty good reasons, but you don't want to hear those. Thank you all for being patient, even though this chapter isn't much. Thank you everyone, and Emogurl, we gotta talk Sakuracon '09, dude! THANX EVERYONE!**

Chapter Fourteen: Plans

"Excuse me," said a policeman in shades as his car pulled up to Tifa's black Ferrari, "can I help you with anything?" He asked. Tifa rolled down her window.

"I'm looking for Vincent. Vincent Valentine?"

The man's eyebrows rose, impressively, above his black lenses. "You're Tifa Lockheart, aren't you? Oh boy, you're the second of those AVALANCHE people to come out here in a week. Now you can tell me Missy—what's in _our_ town that interests you people?" The man's voice took on an element of fear.

"Nothing," she assured him, "don't worry. Vincent's just got some information I need." She said. "Now can you tell me where he is?"

"He's staying at the Treeview Inn. Take two lefts and a right. Can't miss it. He's probably not in his room though," he said hesitantly.

"Naturally," Tifa agreed. "Thank you," she said.

"Good luck." They drove their separate ways.

Kinoa was a small town devoted to the shipping, loading, importing, and exporting of timber and other natural resources. A tiny thing right off the interstate; nothing more than a hollow little dot on a map. It was filled with back-woods inbreds and the occasional entrepreneur who usually left as quick as they came. Tifa was, in fact, surprised that it offered any sort of lodging at all. She maneuvered her car slowly around quaint log homes and an outdated mini-market or two until she reached the inn.

"Is Vincent Valentine in?" She asked the woman at a small wooden desk that apparently served as check in.

"No," she said, revealing a Victorian accent. "Heard he was down by the quarry settling an argument between Ron Perry and David Steward."

Tifa was prepared for this, although the anxiety and urgency of _finding Marlene_ was redawning on her. "Thank you." She walked away.

**XxXxXx**

"Vincent?" She called as she ventured out into the woodsy area littered with rocky debris. A short distance away, she heard something akin to a muffled groan and a war cry—ultimately ending with the thump of a body collapsing onto the ground. Tifa rolled her eyes quickly. "Vincent?!" He floated into view. "Vincent, we need to know where you dropped off the three Remnants. Marlene's missing. She left a note. She says she's gone with them." Vincent cocked an eyebrow.

"Dropped 'em off outside Midgar—standard flatlands, to the North. I'd check all the big cities in the area. They seem the type." Big cities. Tifa noted it.

"Would you help us look for her?" Tifa asked, with little hope. And as expected,

"I can't. Sorry. I'll keep an eye out, however."

"Thank you Vincent—oh, you've got a bloody arm," she noticed, gesturing to his sleeve. Vincent glanced at it and shrugged, eyes darting to the mad he'd just left for dead.

"He's got a missing one." Tifa nodded and walked away, noting that Vincent had only promised to watch out for Marlene and not to tell them of his findings.

**XxXxXx**

He'd _**looked**_ just about everywhere. No motel, inn, or hotel in Midgar had checked them in, and none of the night club managers had seen anyone resembling three silver-haired men and a dark-haired seven-year-old. Barret didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He'd _**asked**_ just about everywhere. The elementary school, the local ice cream shop, a nearby toy store. They'd update him if they saw anything, they all said.

As he hung his head and walked back to his car from the elementary school, his phone rang. Barret didn't wait two seconds to open it.

"Tifa—where are they?" He asked after quickly reading the Caller ID.

"Vincent dropped them off at Midgar outskirts NE. He suggests searching in the big cities. Definitely Parlhun, Retoljin, Bancastor, maybe Skyvale . . ."

"I'm going," Barret said.

"Wait Barret. Wait to regroup. We need to be smarter than them. At least wait for Cloud's ShinRa report. They might have more details. Don't go anywhere—I'll be in Midgar in 30 minutes."

"Alright," Barret said, grudgingly acknowledging her logic. "I'll call Cloud. We'll meet at the coffee shop off of Pearce Avenue."

"Okay." Tifa hung up. No sooner had Barret closed his phone, than it rang again. He didn't recognize the ID.

"Hello?"

"Barret—It's Reno. We've got supplies." The red-haired Turk's voice was constricted and tense. Did that mean he might actually care?

"We're meeting at the coffee shop off of Pearce. Lemme talk to Cloud."

"Uh, well . . ."

"Let. Me talk. To Cloud."

"Okay," he sighed.

"Barret—did you find her?" Came Cloud's low voice.

"Nothing—Tifa said Vincent took them to the northeast drop of Midgar. We're regrouping."

"Okay—later."

"Yeah."

**XxXxXx**

The first thing Reno saw when he held open the warm, glass door to the coffee shop for Cloud, was a lonely booth in the corner where Tifa Lockheart sat quietly by herself As Cloud caught up with him, Reno noticed she'd been crying. _Come on, Cloud_, Reno thought, pained at the sight of her. _Pull through for her. Just this once, okay? Look at her—she needs you!_ But, alas, Cloud did not rush to her, wiping away her tears, whispering sweet nothings, and smelling her strawberry-scented hair. Instead, he slid dejectedly into the seat across from her and sulked. Reno slipped in next to him.

"Hey, Teef," he smiled weakly. She looked up at him as if just realizing that they were sitting across from her.

"Hello, Reno," she said quietly. And she glanced out the window, her eyes sad and her mouth vulnerable.

"The supplies are being delivered to SevHev right now, if it makes any difference."

Barret joined them, seating himself next to Tifa. What's the word, Reno?" He asked.

"Supplies are in," the Turk repeated.

"Vincent suggested searching the big cities north," Tifa said.

"Nothing locally," Barret reported.

"Okay, let's organize," Reno said, leaning over the table.

"I'll take Vincent's advice; I'm going." Barret slammed his fist down on the table decidedly.

"I was planning on going," Cloud said, speaking up for the first time.

"_I've_ got it, Cloud," Barret snapped. Tifa rolled her eyes and glared out the window.

"One person covering four big cities? Logically, we all should go," Reno pointed out. Cloud shook his head.

"Who are we gonna report to? Who's gonna keep searching around here?" He asked. "At least one of us is going to have to stay behind and manage," he said.

"Fair point," Reno admitted.

"Barret, since you and Cloud want to go so badly, why don't the both of you go. I'll keep track of personally looking out in Midgar and the surrounding areas. And running Seventh Heaven—or, more likely, closing it down for a while." Tifa said.

"What about me?" Reno asked, wondering where he fit into Tifa's plan.

"Um," she sighed, "you'll be our ambassador for ShinRa, here. You'll keep track of weapon dispatchment, organize search parties in case they _didn't_ go North . . ."

"I vote Tifa," Cloud said. "Let's go, Barret." The black man stood tall. Reno slid out so Cloud could get by.

"We'll load my car, you'll take your bike. I'll call my boss—tell 'im I won't be in for a few days. I put out the radio announcement. Hopefully that'll help our cause."

"Turn your _phone_ on," Tifa reminded Cloud. He acknowledged her with a deep nod.

"I'm thinking we'll take Parlhun first—spread to Retoljin, next Skyvale, and finally Bancaster. Straight shot right through. If we get going quick enough, there's no possible way they could've gotten any further on foot _or_ on bikes." Cloud said.

"Let's go," Barret said. They were gone and on their way to Seventh Heaven—Cloud taking the bike. Reno would have to ride with The Tifa Lockheart—infamous for her spontaneous road rage.

"So, they're busy guys," he said. Tifa turned her head. _Way to stick your foot in it, kid,_ he reprimanded himself. He cleared his throat. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Tifa's eyes were unfocused. "Yeah, let's go."

**XxXxXx**

**Horribly short chapter and I am very sorry! I'll update soon though, I promise!**


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Tweaky Feelings

**'Ello everyone, how is everybody? Well I think that it's high time we see what the SHM are up to again, don't you? Enjoy!**

Chapter Fifteen: The Strange, Paradoxical, _Tweaky_ Feeling

Yazoo woke up from a good dream. A _really_ good dream. He slept in his own room, noting there were several wide-spread bedrooms, and for a moment, he let himself be lost in the luxury of lying on a real bed—on his back, clothed only in a pair of loose, dark gray and flaired sweatpants, feeling the detachment of his long silver hair cascade around him. But Yazoo fastened his hands on the wooden headboard of the bed and lunched, landing a neat backflip in the center of the room. He flipped his hair off of his ivory chest and took a deep breath, fresh air swelling his lungs. He would never tire of the smell of fresh air.

He quietly stepped out into the solid, wooden hall, and passed 'Loz's' room. The door was open, and Yazoo caught a glance of Loz, sprawled slavishly on his bed, fully clothed, and snoring softly, mouth open. Yazoo smiled and walked on—stopping at a hall closet to collect a large dark green towel. He in all honesty, didn't know just who's house this was exactly.

When Loz had found it, they'd been too tired to examine the fine details of house-intrusion laws, and quite simply made themselves at home. They'd promised they'd keep it clean, and that they wouldn't stay too long. And at the time, that had been enough—although Kadaj had hesitated.

Loz and he still respected Kadaj as the leader of their family, Yazoo realized as he stepped into the bathroom and locked the door. He stripped down, flicked on the hot water in the shower (Where the plumbing went exactly, Yazoo did not _want_ to know), and while he waited for the icy water to warm, he gazed at his bare reflection in the mirror above the sink.

Yazoo. He didn't have a last name. A bit inconvenient, maybe. He raised both eyebrows high above his forehead. The eldest of three brothers: an angsting middle child, and a rather spoiled youngest who really did get everything he wanted. His mind shot to Marlene as he stepped into the shower. He bowed his head, letting hot water spill over his mess of streaky silver tangles.

Marlene . . . he wasn't quite sure how he felt about her, exactly. It wasn't the playful brotherhood she shared with Loz. It wasn't the utter _adoration_ Kadaj felt for her. No . . . neither of these things.

True, he was quite fond of her, but a tweaky, edgy feeling tumbled in his middle whenever they interacted. He'd heard in one sappy romance movie that Loz had taken the liberty to rent out one day, that the feeling took place when you ere desperately, romantically in love with someone.

Then again, in a movie _Kadaj_ had rented, it implied something horribly wrong was about to happen that could change—or end—your life. Apparently like feeling you're being stalked by a man with a long screwdriver in the dark.

He chuckled slightly as he lathered up. What was he _thinking_? He thought briefly of finding Marlene and apologizing. It wouldn't be so bad, would it? But Marlene was probably asleep in her bed at her father's house. Like she should be.

He felt incomplete, though. As if he'd left something unsaid. He brushed the feeling away and rinsed 'mint raspberry' shampoo out of his hair.

He flicked off the hot water, stepped into the steamy atmosphere, and toweled off, wringing his hair from excess water. Hot showers were another privilege he'd had to forgo in earlier times. He missed them.

Yazoo re-entered his room to slide back into his black leather pants, and after he got most of the water out of his hair, he headed for the kitchen with the intent of making breakfast. It was only 7:30 in the morning, and Yazoo didn't expect Loz or Kadaj to be up anyhow. Loz slept late regardless of when he went to bed the night before, and Kadaj was nothing short of a night creature.

So Yazoo was deemed the breakfast guru. Even though Loz was provably better in the kitchen than he was. As he entered the room, however. He stopped in his tracks at what met his eyes.

Kadaj lay across the couch, asleep, head face-up on the arm rest and one leg bent at the knee, against eh backing; the other hanging at its side. Nestled in his arms was Marlene Wallace, her head on his chest, her braid a bit loosened and disheveled. A nearly full bag of popcorn lay on the ground next to them.

Well.

He crossed to the sturdy, wooden coffee table between the couch and the fireplace and sat on it and watched them. He guessed that Kadaj had to do what Kadaj had to do. Although he never thought . . . he never thought . . . hmm. He tentatively reached forward and brushed a strand of straight, dark hair behind Marlene's tiny, rounded ear. She shifted her weight, and stirred. Her eyes opened weakly.

"Hello, Yazoo," she whispered blearily. He thought. She'd been up and running for nearly 24 hours. She must be exhausted.

"Hello," he said softly, resting his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands. The tweaky edgy feeling rolled in his stomach and he felt a sudden embarrassment, wishing he had put a shirt on. Funny though. He didn't know why.

"Kadaj . . . he asked me to come back," she said faintly. Yazoo looked over at his youngest brother, who slept peacefully away. He looked back at Marlene.

"I'm glad he did." He took her hand and held it in his own for a log time. She smiled, and so he did not let go for several minutes, after being positive she was once again fast asleep.

**XxXxXx**

"Reeve . . . Reeve!" The ShinRa agent slowly awakened in his large, comfortable bedroom to see Denzel—hair sticking to all ends—shaking him fervently. He held a black portable radio in one hand. It wasn't until Reeve had cleared his eyes of sleep that he saw the boy's hard, _stricken_ face.

"What's wrong?" He asked blearily.

"Marlene's been kidnapped," he said.

Reeve flew out of bed.

**XxXxXx**

"You got the ammo covered?" Reno asked Barret, as a team of ShinRa delivery boys hurriedly transported supplies from the corporal semi to Barret's black car. Barret nodded wordlessly—dumping a crate of food into the passenger seat.

Cloud emerged from the near empty truck, wiped his hands on his pants, and swung open the door to the bar where Tifa was checking off orders on a clipboard.

"We're almost ready to leave," he said. She bit her lip.

"How long do you think you're gonna be?"

"We'll come back once she's been found, I guess," he shrugged and turned to go.

"Wait, Cloud—"she hesitated, wanting to say something, but not knowing exactly what.

"Tifa, we have to _go_," Cloud said, aggravated. Tifa shook her head.

"Yeah, no, uh—never mind. Just . . . be careful, okay?" Cloud rolled his eyes and exited. Tifa followed. As soon as she stepped into the chilly air, her phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered promptly.

"MARLENE'S BEEN _KIDNAPPED_?!" Screamed the voice on the other line. Tifa cringed, as did the speaker on her phone. When the static reverberations had subsided, Tifa began.

"Sorry for not calling you earlier, Yuffie. Guess Vincent got a hold of you."

"BY THE THREE _REMNANTS_?!" The voice continued, unacknowledging of Tifa's response.

"Yes. Barret and Cloud are leaving to look in the cities as we speak and I'm—"

"I AM ON MY _WAY_, TIFA LOCKHEART!" Click.

Tifa looked at Reno, who'd been casually trying to hide his ears from the noise. "Yuffie will be joining us. And probably another half of Wutai's population."

"The more the merrier," Reno said simply.

"That's everything," the lead delivery agent said, walking up to Reno. "As soon as the two of you cook up a search party, you've got a team," he promised.

"Okay, good. See you guys later."

"Good luck," they said as they took their truck and drove away.

"Ready?" Barret asked grimly as the four huddled in an unconscious circle in the Seventh Heaven parking lot.

"Yeah," Cloud said. Reno looked at him and noticed how his blue eyes were constantly shifting from angry, to sadness, to determined, to dread, and to pure rage. Barret's face was hard and fixed. Tifa's pretty face was just tired and sad. No one else spoke out.

"Then let's go," Barret said. Right then, Tifa wanted to reach out and hug Cloud. Just a short little 'catch-you-later' hug, but she resisted. He probably wouldn't even return it at this point and that would be plain humiliating. So she watched him climb on his bike and strap on his goggles. She watched him nod at Reno, and herself, and drive away with Barret and his car in tow. Just like that.

Reno dropped his gaze and his eyes looked to Tifa's arms that fell softly to her sides, her hands limp. They looked lonely, her hands did. Reno snapped his head up.

"Plan time?" He asked. They went inside.

**XxXxXx**

**Pleeease review! Wow, no epic-long A/N. Sweet.**


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Nothing

**Okay people, I am SO sorry for not updating sooner! I would like to welcome kazza-spexy and ybs to this story, thanks so much for RnR-ing my friends, it's always good to have new readers! I hope you all at least enjoy this next installment. If any of you have happened to read 'The Spell' you might remember the abilities Aeris gave the SHM. And, well, if you didn't, it sort of explains it here. Happy trails and have a WONDERFUL school year!**

Chapter Sixteen: Nothing

Kadaj woke a few hours later. The sun shone brightly, while Marlene continued to sleep softly on top of him. He slid off the couch, out from under her and walked the short distance to the kitchen where Yazoo and Loz were eating, presumably, breakfast at the table. He sat down next to them without a word and Yazoo passed him a plate of hot food.

"You're awake!" Loz greeted cheerfully. "I can't believe you brought Marlene back with you! Is she going to stay?"

Kadaj took a breath, rubbing a hand over his eyes. His initial tiredness of the long night before was slowly ebbing, such was one of the benefits of having healing abilities. "Marlene wants to stay." He said slowly. And Loz was happy.

"This is gonna be so . . ." his voice trailed off into nothingness and his excited face drained as his sight began to haze and he felt an airiness gather into him. He knew this feeling well since he'd been brought back to life. He was having a vision. At least Aeris hadn't made it painful. He gripped at the heavy tabletop and braced himself. Yazoo and Kadaj dissolved around him. The future was waiting for him.

Kadaj and Yazoo glanced at each other as their brother lurched at the table, clutching it, as his deep eyes went blank. Kadaj looked away. Aeris had given them each a gift, but Loz's futuristic visions resembled something more like a spastic seizure. Kadaj's gift of healing was simple and quick. Yazoo's strange dream-connection with others was at least under his control if not less than useful. But Loz's future sight . . . was unlike both of theirs. It came at seemingly random times, when he least expected it. In dreams, or during the day. In deja vus, flashbacks, through his own eye, or looking into another's. He _had_ no control. And that seemed to be how Aeris wanted it.

**XxXxXx**

_Loz gasped and jumped as a monster flew at him, quickly dodging—realizing too late that the vision did not affect him. He couldn't touch anything in this strange dream world. He was nothing to the world around him—a ghost of Christmas past. And he needed to remember everything that he saw in this strange place._

_He looked around, trying to memorize every detail. The dry, white monster-cave, chips of the walls cracking around it, a cliff, a blue and bubbling stream running nearby. Oh, and chaos. That too. Or rather, a subsiding chaos. Bleeding monsters staggered away, dying. Someone was crying nearby, but that person could not be seen. The only person Loz could see was . . . Yazoo. His long-haired brother walked a few steps away from the monsters cave, unsteadily. Dark red blood streaked thick stripes on his fair, ivory face. His eyes hazy and unfocused. Loz cried out to his brother who could not see him. Yazoo's mouth opened, but for a moment, he did not speak. When he did, his voice was strange and hesitant._

_"It's—it's just Karma. Just like she said. Just like they said . . . all those years ago," then truth dawned and brilliance shone in his eyes, and Yazoo fell forward. Face down in the rocks and the dust._

_"Yazoo!" Loz yelled, and lunged at him._

_And fell into nothing._

**XxXxXx**

As the vision collapsed around him, Loz drew a sharp breath to see the looks of his concerned brothers sitting around him. His breath came in nervous pants. He focused in on Yazoo's concerned face, wanting to touch it and not feel blood and dirt, if only to make sure that _now_ was real.

"Loz . . . are you . . . back?" Kadaj asked uncomfortably for lack of better words.

"Y-yeah I am." What did it _mean_? This happened _every single time_ he had a vision. Caught a glance of the future. A glimpse of what was to come. What was he supposed to do with them? Try to change it? Warn somebody? Help it come true? The _future_! The future . . . Yazoo's bloodied face striking the ground, his face shining with truth.

Karma . . .

Loz had always been the weakest of the three. He knew it, they knew it. The silver-haired brother who could yank a full grown tree out of the ground was, inside, reduce to a weepy little _boy_ on a mere whim. Because they had _done_ that to him. If, during Reunion, Kadaj possessed Sephiroth's power, and Yazoo his grace and skill, then certainly Loz at least had the potential to inherit Sephiroth's quaking anger. During Reunion, he'd been too busy squalling over Jenova to do anything but whatever Kadaj ordered.

But Loz had changed.

No longer was he a silver-haired brother of Kadaj and Yazoo, although he loved them both dearly. No longer was he a childish little boy, although he did love playing with Marlene.

No. None of those things at all.

At that moment, Loz became a silver-haired _man_.

He watched Kadaj and Yazoo resume conversation once they realized Loz was indeed alright, and they talked casually to themselves. He also glanced at Marlene, sleeping away, and realized he had friends he would die for. He remembered his vision and realized he had a great gift. He thought of ShinRa and what they'd done to him and he realized he had motivation. He thought of Aeris and the terrible things in the world. She had shared with him only, and realized he had a purpose, as well.

Loz leaned back in his chair and thought.

**XxXxXx**

A few hours later, Marlene woke up. Kadaj's back was to her as he was at the sink washing dishes. She yawned, stretched, and stood up, rubbing her eyes. Yazoo entered from the hall, carrying an empty ceramic plate and cup, presumably for Kadaj to clean.

"Good afternoon, Marlene," Yazoo said cheerily as they walked to the kitchen together. However accidentally though, Marlene's long converse shoe caught on _Yazoo's_ long _leg_ and they both fumbled for their balance. Right when it seemed Marlene was regaining her poise, Yazoo's other leg buckled, causing Marlene to yelp and instinctively grab at the closest solid object that would keep her from falling—in this case being Yazoo's arm which held the dishes.

"Whoa!" He yelled, taken by surprise, as the ceramic plate and cup flew from his hands, the both of them falling hard right on their rear ends, the ceramic shattering harmlessly across the floor. Kadaj whipped around as glass landed all over the kitchen.

Marlene and Yazoo slowly looked at each other, wide eyed, as they replayed the last 30 seconds. Marlene remembered Yazoo's eyes bugging out as his leg tripped, Yazoo's lips twitching as he recalled Marlene's gaping mouth. The sheer, awkward, _ridiculousness_ of it all! They both giggled to themselves at the same time, trying to suppress it. But the more they saw themselves with that horrified expression on their faces, the funnier it became—until suddenly both Marlene _and_ Yazoo were choking with laughter. They couldn't help it! Laughs were ripping their throats open, huge, tugging, _lions_ of laughs until Yazoo gave in and sank to the floor, shaking with laughter, his hand on his stomach. Marlene shrieked hysterically.

At one point, Yazoo even tried to get up, but upon seeing the small, confused smile on Kadaj's face, Yazoo was doubled over again, fist pounding on the floor.

Loz entered from his room, after hearing all the commotion. "What's going on?" He asked Kadaj, who shrugged. It was Marlene who was first able to crawl forward, between bouts of fresh laughter and sucking lungfuls of air, to reach Yazoo who, to Loz's and Kadaj's surprise, sprang from the floor to a sitting position, and still laughing, embraced Marlene in a tight hug—a smile lit on his face—suddenly feeling the best moment in the world had come. The tweaky feeling in his stomach was gone, and Yazoo knew that it was stupid to think that anything bad could come of Marlene.

When they parted, still grinning, Yazoo had a thought.

"We should probably pick up the broken glass, shouldn't we?" Marlene grinned and nodded.

"Mmhmm!"

"I'll help," Kadaj volunteered.

"I'll get a broom," Loz offered.

Marlene was very careful to pick up the large pieces of ceramic with the tips of her fingers, as was Yazoo. Kadaj, however, being the hastiest of the three, took to grabbing several pieces at once with a bare hand and dropping them in the waste basket, resulting in a smaller, jagged piece of ceramic slicing open his palm—a small flesh wound right below his thumb, that bright blood squeezed through.

"Ow," he muttered. Marlene and Yazoo looked up.

"Oh, Kadaj!" Marlene said, concerned, "are you alright? Does it hurt?"

"A bit," he replied, "but it'll be fine." He wrapped his left hand around the injured one, and pressed in, letting out a breath. He took a second look. As the wound began to seal, a thin, distinct wisp of black smoke lifted from his closing wound and floated its way about them, eventually drifting out the open window in the kitchen. Kadaj watched it, brows furrowed. What _was_ that? He'd healed several different wounds since he'd received his power, and not once had anything like _that_ happened much less with himself. His hand was now fully healed, but Kadaj could not shake the sight of that tiny, but so richly _black_ strand against his own carmine blood. Strange . . .

"Kadaj?" Marlene's voice held a question. "It's all better? What's wrong?" She hadn't seen the smoke.

"Nothing," he replied quickly. Lightly; contrary to the serious look in his eyes as he clenched and loosened a fist in front of his face, trying to make the image of the drifting black disappear.

**XxXxXx**

It sank in blackness. It was blind and shapeless and nothing. Felt nothing. Heard nothing. Cared nothing. It was not much that _made_ it anything worth mentioning at all, in fact. It did not carry a thought. An idea. Not even real words. Just a name. A name that was virtually meaningless. The name that made it a fact of existence, was the name _Cloud Strife_. A nothing name. The thing was not big enough to be anything else. Well, not yet anyway. Someday though, it would be very powerful. Powerful enough to even have _memories_ of Cloud Strife. _Feelings_ about Cloud Strife. But for now, all the thing was, was a name. A barely audible _whisper_ of faint black fog that drifted aimlessly through trees it could not see. The thing did not have a way to know where it was going, or even to know it was going anywhere at all. But it was indeed going somewhere. And it was, actually, moving very, _very_ fast.

**XxXxXx**

**If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! Please review! Thanks ya'll!**


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Parlhun

**Okay everyone, thank you so much for your patience in my delay of updating. I actually have a reason for this one, however. I've told a few of you already, but about two weeks ago (I found out _right_ after posting the last chapter) one of my very good friends from school died from an accidental overdose of perscription drugs. It was quite a shock and took some time to digest the news. For awhile I wasn't exactly in the fanfiction mood. However, after receiving a few more reviews, I remembered how much Sean loved (or at least pretended to love on my behalf) this story. So it's been a bit of a debate, but I'm going to finish it, alright everybody? I'm going to edit the prologue and dedicate it to him, so if you want to check it out, it'll be there.**

**Thank you so much everyone for hearing me out, it means a lot to me. Thank you Dymensional Warrior for the glowing praise and thank you reviewers who I didn't get a chance to respond to. So without further ado, here's the next installment.**

**Warning: This chapter deals with some mature situations.**

Chapter Seventeen: Parlhun

Cloud and Barret reached Parlhun by eleven o' clock in the morning. The two-and-a-half-hour-long drive North East had been silent and brooding—not that anything more was expected with Barret in the car and Cloud on his bike.

When they finally reached the exit and pulled into the first stop—a neon-lit gas station—Cloud held his breath. He hadn't been to Parlhun for quite some time and he'd forgotten what the air had tasted like: sex and prestige.

If Midgar was slummy and chaotic, then Parlhun was seedy and organized. All of the drug dealers, pimps, conmen and mob bosses established their headquarters here in the city of no shame where ShinRa was far enough away to have better things to do, but close enough to other small surrounding towns—and of course its lead consumer, Midgar—to make a luxurious amount of profit.

So as Cloud dismounted from his bike and stared up at the city, skyscrapers leering down at him and neon lights and artificial smoke swimming before his vision, Cloud hoped to God that they hadn't brought Marlene _here_ of all places.

But there was only one way to find out, wasn't there?

Barret slammed his car door open and shut, joining him. He pulled out his phone.

"Tifa, we just pulled in to Parlhun. Gimme a call if you're updated at all—okay?" He paused as Tifa responded. "Okay." He ended the call.

"How do you want to do this? You take South East, I'll take South West and tomorrow we'll take the north end of town?" Cloud asked.

"Sounds good," Barret agreed. "You taking your bike? Prob'ly be a good idea," he remarked. Cloud shrugged.

"I'll take the key, but finding Marlene is more important and I'll be faster on foot."

"Okay—here: take one." Barret tossed him a radio communicator. "It'll be easier than a cell-phone." Cloud nodded and clipped it into his black jacket. It was cool outside.

"Good luck," he offered. Barret wasted no time in taking off.

Cloud jogged quickly across the street, landing downtown. Instantly he was spotted by a group of four girls—each in a varying combination of black or purple fishnets, ripped tight jeans, clingy mini-tops, and heavy makeup.

"Heya, cutie!" A girl with crimped blonde hair cooed. "You're looking lonely—wouldja like a little company?" Cloud blinked.

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. Her name's Marlene Wallace—she's got dark brown hair in a braid, about seven years old . . . she may be traveling with three silver-haired men."

The brunette next to the blonde rolled her eyes and the other two black-haired girls snorted.

"Oh. You're like _that_," the brunette said. "Well it's my _job_ to tell you that if you're lookin' for a kid that young you should talk to Dominick." One of the black-haired girls glanced around at passerbys uneasily before speaking up.

"Your type makes me sick, you pervert!" She said.

"Yeah—'s not cool to mess around with little kids," the other one huffed.

"She's my friend's daughter," he said slowly, "and she's been _kidnapped_."

"Oh _uh-huh_. _Right_. C'mon girls." The blonde flounced off, as did the two black-haired girls—arm in arm. And finally, the brunette hissed 'psycho!' and joined her friends. Cloud shook his head. Well _that_ hadn't gone so well.

There was a hotel at the end of the block. It might take some digging to be able to access the guest list, but they had to have been staying _somewhere_. He ran to the doors, and yanked them open. He marched up to the counter guy.

"I need a look at your guest list," Cloud demanded. The guy looked him over, shrugged, and spun the computer monitor so it faced the blonde. So much for digging. He scanned the list—remarkably none of them reading 'Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Marlene Wallace'. Well no duh. They'd have to have registered under fake names and ID. He'd have to check that out, too. He refocused on the list, instead looking for three male names and one female. There was only one in the whole directory.

"Can you tell me who they are?" Cloud asked, jabbing a finger at the names Roy, Carlisle, Drew, and Liza. The guy leaned over and cracked his chewing gum.

"Nope, sorry. Looks like they checked in during my off time. That was Darcy's shift and she split awhile ago. Sorry man." Cloud thought. The computer said they were in room 416. Even if they weren't in their room, he was pretty sure he'd be able to tell if it was where the three Remnants were staying. He thought about how to get in: bringing the door down might bring a little too much attention to himself. If he tried, he could probably climb to the roof and get in via windows . . .

"They're in room 416. Need a key?" The guy asked, reaching into a drawer and drawing out of it a single brass key. Cloud took it.

"Why are you giving me the _key_?" He asked suspiciously.

"You learn to accommodate armed men that are looking for people. Just the way it works around here. Rough biz." He shrugged again.

"Fair enough," Cloud said, plucking the key away. On the way up he buzzed Barret. "Barret—find anything?"

"Yeah—maybe. Some guy told me to talk to Dominick. Hear anything about that?"

"Yeah, I got that too. I'm checking out the hotel across the street and down the block from the gas station. It's pretty big. You wanna find some insiders on fake ID? It's the only way they'd be able to check in anywhere in the first place.

"That's true . . . awright. I'll buzz you later."

Cloud reached the room, slid in the key, and stepped inside. It was empty. Their suitcases lay neatly on the floor, and only one of the two queen-sized double beds had been touched. Cloud flipped open the nearest suitcase and analyzed its contents. A few dress suits, a bottle of cologne, a copy of the latest Grisham novel, and . . . oh! Wedged between the book and a stiff necktie was a black pocketbook that Cloud promptly pulled out. Upon flipping it open, Cloud discovered three very important things. One. The suitcase he was looking through belonged to Roy Attinson. Two, he was 47 years old and married to Liza. Three. He was definitely _not_ a Remnant. It was all there: driver's license, social security, debit card, and passport. The remnants weren't here.

Cloud sipped the case back up and headed back downstairs, dejected. After dropping the key back off, he headed down the thin alleys in search of the missing girl.

"_Cloud Strife_," a voice whispered. Cloud stopped and turned, eyes scanning the dingy alley. No one was around. Hmm. Cloud kept walking.

"_Cloud Strife_," the shallow voice whispered again. Cloud turned around again. No one. His hands balled into fists. There was nothing there but him and the buildings and a thin wisp of jet black smoke.

This isn't funny!" He snapped at the atmosphere. "I don't know who you are, but I'm looking for somebody and you're _not_ helping. So enough with the stupid tricks!" He stomped angrily across they alley, breaking into another downtown city street. Where to next . . .

"_Cloud Strife_." This time the voice whispered right into his ear. As if he _should have_ felt breath at his neck. Cloud whipped his head around. Nobody was there. He waved the bit of black smoke away, irritably.

"Marlene?" He called to the city, ignoring the voice. He had to concentrate on finding her. Before he _completely_ cracked.

"_Cloud Strife . . ."_

**XxXxXx**

Narrow slits of green eyes sparked in the shadows of Parlhun as they followed the every movement of the muscular blonde clothed in all black as he wandered the streets, seemingly aimless, looking for a dark-haired little girl named Marlene. The face behind the green eyes growled. He was so _sick_ of people like that—young blonde men with sad blue eyes and big weapons that looked for little kids on the streets of Sin City. Sick, sick, _sick_.

_Well, man_, the green-eyed figure thought, _don't think you can waltz right in and start making business without an initiation first_. The figure cracked his knuckles and followed silently.

**XxXxXx**

Barret's first course of action was to find this Dominick guy he'd been referred so often to. For awhile he'd been kicking himself for wearing, today of all days, fishnets, but gradually was neutralized as he realized most of the people's attention were drawn more powerfully to the large machine on his arm. Figures. How to find Dominick . . . how to find Dominick. His dark eyes scanned the area, trying to find someone who might know just _where_.

"Hey," a voice said nearby, "you lookin' for someone?" Barret turned to find a kid, 17 or so, sitting casually on a stack of crates on the sidewalk, smoking a cigarette and smoothing his dirty-blonde hair out of his face.

"Yeah—a few. Three silver-haired men and my daughter. Well, my adopted daughter. She's about seven years old, small, dark hair—have you seen her?" Barret asked anxiously. The kid took a slow drag on his cigarette.

"Don't know about the guys, but the girl . . . well there's about a million chicks like that runnin' around."

"They tell me to look for Dominick. Do you know where I could find him?" At this, the kid choked on his own smoke, spitting out his cigarette and taking a long 30 seconds to swear long and hard. Barret waited with fading patience.

"Dominick?" The kid croaked, "why the hell would you want to find _him_?!"

"'Cause he might have my daughter," Barret said, tight-lipped. The kid weighed his grimy yellow head as he considered what Barret had said.

"Right on, right on. Watch out, though. He's a pretty impulsive guy. Used to work for him. "

"Used to?" Barret questioned. The boy shrugged.

"Got too old for him and his little business, I guess. You'll find him on West Hampton. Go up these two blocks and you'll find his big ol' skyscraper. Can't miss it; I don't."

Barret nodded his thanks and set off.

**XxXxXx**

"Okay, big guy, send 'em in." Reno said into his cell phone. After a mere ten minutes of planning, Reno and Tifa were ready for a search team.

Within minutes they began to arrive by the dozen in cars, helicopters, and large trucks Before long, Seventh Heaven was _swarmed_ with agents, Turks, and of course, reporters.

Tifa helplessly watched as people clamored around her, asking questions that she didn't have the answers for. Reno saw this and deftly scaled to the top of an 18-wheeler ShinRa semi-truck. He planted his feet firmly apart from each other, cupped a hand to his mouth, and shouted.

"Listen everybody!" Cameras clicked and whirred. Someone tossed him a megaphone. Reno took it, flipped his hair back, and began. "First of all—you reporters have to go. I'm sure any questions you have will be answered one way or another by tomorrow." The media groaned, but reluctantly obeyed after some rather large search members advised so. Reno continued. "What we have here is a kidnapping." He said, his clear, confidently smug voice pumping the crowd with energy. "Marlene Wallace, the adopted daughter of AVALANCHE leader Barret Wallace has been taken by the Remnants—Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. As you also know, she was the one who discovered they were alive. This probably influenced their action. We need to find her quickly, and we need to find her at all costs. Vincent Valentine reports that he left them within the north-eastern quadrant of the Midgar outskirts—thus Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace have elected to search the four large cities surrounding it. They've only been gone a few hours however and the remnants couldn't have gotten far. That's where you all come in. Tifa Lockheart and I have made a plan for each of the fifteen search parties here. Group SS1, SS2, and SS3—you will cover the southwestern quadrant of Midgar and outskirts. SS4-6, cover the south east. SS7-10, you'll take the North West. SS10-12, sweep through the edges of Midgar in case she's still in the city, and SS13-15, you'll take the north east sector of the Midgar outskirts. Your teams are free to divide as your team leader so chooses. Any requests to move from your specified area must be represented from your team leader to Tifa Lockheart, or me. Am I understood?" 150 heads nodded solemnly. "If you are able to find Marlene, then radio in ASAP and have her immediately transported to Midgar. If you find any of the three remnants but not Marlene, use whatever force necessary to find out where she is. Do not let them escape. F you find them both, which is the most probable situation, focus the priority on Marlene. Restrain the Remnants and bring them to ShinRa headquarters or any law regarding ShinRa. Alright—enough talking—_find_ her!" The crowd roared their agreement and team leaders began shouting orders at their men. They scurried themselves into cars and trucks and helicopters, and roared off just as quickly as they had come.

Reno watched them scatter like ants from the top of the truck and nodded, satisfied. They'd do their job well.

**XxXxXx**

**So there you have it folks. Be prepared for a whole bunch of OCs in the coming chapters. Don't worry, they're good ones. Thank you all! Reviews are welcome!**


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Joel

**Alright, sorry for you SHMxMar fans here, but this chapter takes a bit of a break from them. Not to worry, they'll be back before you know it! Thank you reviewers out there, you make me very happy when I check my email. Please, please, _please_ pay attention to this chapter. There's a few new OCs and I know they can sometimes get confusing. Thank you!**

Chapter Eighteen: Joel

"Please, can you tell me if you've seen a little girl with dark brown hair in a braid and a turtle neck? Her name is Marlene Wallace . . .?" Cloud asked for what seemed the millionth time that day.

The stranger just laughed and walked on. "Nope. Sorry kiddo." Well, it was better than a lot of the responses he'd gotten that day. The time was 3:36 in the afternoon. He had absolutely _no_ useful leads. Cloud had gotten a few calls—two from Reno letting him know that the search parties were in full-fledged 'seek' mode, the third being from Barret who'd gone on some kind of hunt for the mysterious Dominick.

Other than that, there were no leads. Cloud looked around and sighed. _Temples of Gold, Marlene. Temples of Gold_. He ran down a deserted alley way. "Marlene, are you there? Has anyone seen Marlene?"

"_Cloud . . ." _the smoke answered him. Cloud whipped his hand through it, frustrated and continued into the alley. Out of nowhere, a calloused hand grabbed him by his black shirt, roughly shoved him up against the brick wall of the alley, and Cloud's eyes widened in surprise as a fist swiftly slammed into his face, knocking his head backwards—pain rocketing through his head, his nose crunching with a shudder, his lip instantly and easily splitting open. Cloud gasped and spluttered.

"What—what the hell was _that_ for?!" He yelled angrily, swiping blood from his lip with his arm, cringing away from the instant black bruise on his jaw. As his dulled vision sharpened into place, he saw sparking green eyes glaring into his own blue ones.

"Listen, _punk_," the face growled, "I know that your type has some sort of _impression_ that they can waltz right into Parlhun taking advantage of whoever they want. But I'm here to tell you that your type is _wrong_."

"What are you—oh—if one _more_ person accuses me of being a pedophile . . ." Cloud jerked away from the guy beside him.

"Yeah—play innocent. Marlene, huh? Who's she? One of Dominick's new little rent-outs?" The man snorted, disgusted.

_That_ went a little too far. Cloud lashed out. "Do you _realize_ how repulsive you're being? You think you've got it figured out? You know _nothing, kid_. In case you haven't _heard_, Marlene Wallace was kidnapped this morning. She's the daughter of one of my best friends. That girl is _everything_ to us—so don't you _dare_ talk about her like that."

There was a silence as the figure quietly digested Cloud's words and the only sound was the slow, angry breathing of Cloud's last nerve on edge. In the shadows, Cloud saw the eyes blink. He shifted his weight. He stepped out into the light. Cloud was amazed at the character before him.

"I'm sorry." The voice was young and sincere. "I'm sorry." Cloud examined him. Standing before him was a wiry, muscular young man—about 23 or so—with a smaller height stature, but slabs of rock woven into his slim build. His hair was a streaky orange brown and cut close to his head. Cloud was already familiar with the man's eyes—a living green that were awake and horizontal as if he could've been Asian had it not have been for his tanned skin.

Cloud finished sizing him up and the thought ran through his head that either he was losing his touch for him to be struck so hard without warning, or simply that this guy was very good. "Apology accepted," Cloud said, turning and wiping the last bit of blood on his lip away. He had to get going. "Just stay out of my way." He picked up his stride down the street.

"Wait—" the man said. Cloud turned wordlessly. "I might be able to help you."

"How." It was a stated challenge. Not a question. The man looked around.

"Follow me." He ducked into the alley and Cloud followed quickly.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked as they swiftly made their way down streets and wound through cars and alleys.

"You with the mob?" The man asked. Cloud shrugged.

"AVALANCHE," he replied.

"Ah. Terrorists. Close enough."

"What's your name?" Cloud asked again.

"Joel. Joel Stinton. And you?"

"Are _you_ with the mob?" Cloud asked in turn. The young man called Joel shrugged.

"I've got some connections, although they have nothing to do with the typical Parlhun industries."

"I'm Cloud Strife. Perhaps you've heard of me," Joel though a moment.

_Cloud Strife_ . . . the smoke wove around his pointed left ear.

"Nope—sorry," Joel said almost cheerfully. "The Strife bit sounds a bit familiar though. Maybe from a paper or something."

"I'm the one that saved the kids back in the spring. Defeated the Remnants, killed Sephiroth . . ."

"Impressive," Joel said passively, letting the hint drop that he really didn't care at all. Cloud felt a bit out of sorts at this, but not irritation.

"You're not dazzled by my achievements?" He asked sarcastically. Joel shrugged again as they moved ahead.

"No—it, uh—it sounds really exciting, it does." They fell quiet for awhile.

"Are you the one that's following me and saying my name anywhere?" Cloud asked, cringing as he got his answer.

"_Cloud . . ."_ Damn smoke.

"Um, _no_. I have been following you—because I thought you were a freaking pedophile, no offense."

"None taken, I guess," Cloud said begrudgingly. "Hey—where are we going? Finding Marlene's my priority."

"We're almost there." Cloud ducked under a narrow, low fire escape in a back alley. Joel ran ahead and Cloud matched him. They ran into three kids—two boys and a girl—all teenagers maybe sixteen or seventeen years old. They stood beside a large basement door—access code locked.

"Hey guys—we've got company." Joel said, nimbly jumping to meet them. The boy on the right—dark-skinned with delicately curled, short black hair and long eyelashes examined Cloud carefully.

"What'd you pick him up for?" He asked, his hand drifting to the metal baton by his side that Cloud had just noticed.

"This is Cloud Strife. He's looking for someone. Cloud, meet Owen," he gestured to the dark-skinned boy. "Lorie," he pointed to the girl in the middle, "and Jeremy Delaney." Finally, the boy on the right.

The girl, Lorie, spoke up, dumbfounded. "Joel—what are you _doing_?!" She hissed. "You've never even mentioned him before! Now he's got our names and everything—who _is _this guy?" Her eyes darted back and forth from her friends, hoping they'd back her up. Cloud studied her solemnly. She carried a slight bone structure of _maybe_ 5'4, cream colored skin, and long dark-blonde hair that shaped and fell naturally against slender shoulders. Her face—smooth and reserved—stared at Joel with wide turquoise eyes.

"She's right, Joel." Jeremy said. "Look at him. No doubts that he's _looking_ for someone. To bring back." While Owen and Lorie each had a strange sense of exquisite . . . prettiness to them, Cloud noticed right away that Jeremy had everything down to the _hairstyle_ for a perfect SOLDIER. A future commander. Leader. Hero. The boy was tall and muscular, a couple inches from six feet with slabs of granite lining his biceps under his tight gray t-shirt. His head was held high and bold—a close cut of dark brown hair, not dissimilar to Joel's head. It was a good look with his masculine body and handsome face with his eyes—gray and calm. Cold and colorless, but soft at the same time.

"Trust me guys—he's good, okay?" Joel's voice was certain. Cloud wondered how the man could be so sure. Owen looked at Lorie who looked at Jeremy who finally sighed.

"If you say so," he said. And he turned to the number pad on the door behind him and punched in a four-digit pass-code. The panel beeped and a green light flashed. "In you go." Joel clapped him on the back.

"Thanks guys. I'll have Mel and Anton take your place in ten. Need anything?" He asked as the iron door slid open to the ground.

"Water for me," Lorie said, smoothing her hair over her shoulders. Cloud guessed it was habit. "It's getting kind of hot out here."

"Yeah, me too." Owen said. Joel nodded and turned to Jeremy.

"Nothing for you, J?" Joel asked. Jeremy cracked a half-smile.

"As per."

"Yeah, yeah—macho front. Gotcha covered." Joel grinned and winked at Lorie who smiled shyly back. "I'll have Jason bring up the water for you two."

Cloud and Joel descended down metal stairs into a black room. "What is this place?" Cloud asked, wary of the dark and metal. Although the blonde couldn't see it, a hopeful smile touched Joel's lips.

"Well, us in Parlhun that are involved like to call it . . . Home." Light flooded the room as the door shut and Joel pulled on a light switch. Cloud's eyes widened at what he saw. Firstly there was the fact that they were standing in the middle of a vast . . . underground . . . room, thing. Well built, wide spread.

Secondly was the fact that the room-thing was decked out lounge style. Several neon-colored flat couches lined the room. A television set, wide-screened, was pushed up against the south wall. In the middle of the room was a large coffee table where a box of pizza lay half-eaten. Posters of bands, popular movies, and miscellaneous celebrities lined the walls in various positions.

And thirdly, the last thing that Cloud notices was the 50 pairs of silent eyes that belonged to kids ranging from six to about twenty—completely and totally _frozen_. In fear.

"No worries everybody." Joel said, shucking off his jacket and tossing it onto one of the few empty chairs in the room. "This is Cloud Strife. He's with AVALANCHE." Those seemed to be the magic words. Immediately a few heads began to relax and glances began to turn. Cloud nodded at the crowd in a greeting, finding the feeling of being psycho-analyzed by a bunch of kids strange. He felt in the spot light. He didn't feel he deserved to be in the spotlight.

"Okay, so, what's he here for?" One boy, maybe 15, asked suspiciously from standing at a ping-pong table in the corner.

"Well, first of all you can seriously relax. No one's coming, okay? It's _just_ him. For real." Joel said, reassuringly. He paused. "Okay?"

Jeremy's voice boomed optimistically from the top of the door. "It's all good you guys. He's cool." That seemed to do it. The kid at the ping pong table shrugged and whacked the ball across the table where his partner, a tall, skinny buy with short blonde hair responded by sending the white plastic ball ricocheting off again with a crack. Aloud chatter resounded and activities resumed.

"So, let me guess here. You're running some kind of child gang that looks up to AVALANCHE?" Cloud asked, surveying the scene.

Joel chuckled. "Get _outta_ here!" He declared loudly. "This isn't a gang—this is a family!" They meandered their way through kids and groups and furniture.

"How many you got in so far?" Cloud asked.

"Mmm, 'bout a hundred or so. Getting bigger every week. Oh—Anton—"he stopped short, running into a dark boy with blue eyes. "You and Mel are taking Owen, Lorie, and JD's place in ten, okay? Watch for the patrol. Slow day. Don't stress it."

"Sure thing," he agreed.

"Oh, and could you send up a few water bottles for them too?"

"Yup."

"Thanks. Have you seen Celia around lately?"

"The kid? Yeah—she's right in the kitchen. Uh . . ." he trailed off, looking lost. "She doesn't seem to be in the mood to _talk_ so . . ."

"Gotcha," Joel said quickly. "Follow me, Cloud," he addressed the blonde. Cloud shook his head and followed the man who had to be at least a year or two younger and he wondered where he had obtained his authority.

"_Cloud_ . . ." the black smoke had followed him in, as well.

**XxXxXx**

**Big wall o' text, huh? Yeeeah. Thanks for reading, please review, and have a lovely week.**


	20. Author's Note

**Chapter Blank: Author's Note**

**Hello everyone and how are you doing? Well, I suppose you're wondering why this is an AUTHOR'S NOTE and not a regular chapter. Alright, alright, I'll get to it.**

**To put it simply, this story is on HIATUS. Gasp, I know. Not permanently, or even semi-permanently. I'm only putting this story off for a few more weeks, in fact. I'm going to update at the end of November and by then hopefully some things will be smoothed over.**

**Reasons you ask? Why—don'tcha trust me? Alright, alright. Um . . . the main reason being is that I want some leeway time to get _caught_ _up_ with the writing. I've had several exciting new projects in mind that have taken up more of the brain power than I have time for and consequentially, I haven't been writing Temples Of Gold as much as I should have. The sucky part of this whole deal is that I'm actually kinda almost done. I hope to have it completely written out by mid-December—when I started posting it—and we'll call it an amazing year.**

**The second reason is that November is NaNoWriMo. In other words, National Novel Writing Month. The gist of it is that every November, people all around America hole themselves up in their room or office or wherever, and do _whatever it takes_ to write a novel in a month. The minimum number of words a day you have to write is 5,000. You don't have to necessarily _finish_ a novel, but you do have to grind out 5,000 words a day. More on NaNoWriMo at nanowrimo(dot)org. I'm not doing this. It's _impossible_ as a teenager in high school with two AP classes and a play to put on to write 5,000 words every day for a month. Which is why _I'm _doing it in July when there's no school! However, in the spirit, I'm taking Temples of Gold and conquering as much as I can during this time period. Fun for me, eh. And it'd just be a lot easier without the weird kind of pressure I get when I'm like '_Man, I really should update. It's been two weeks_,' kind of thing.**

**So, yeah. That's pretty much it. Sorry if I disappoint any of you guys, I just need some time to get it together. Thanks a ton! Also, I don't want to lose contact with all of you for an entire month just because I'm not posting, so if you want to ask a question or talk or whatever, just PM me via fanfiction or email me at steel_blue71(at)hotmail(dot)com.**

**Anyway, I'll miss you guys but I'll be back soon! I'll still hopefully be reading (OMG, Ila I _still_ have to finish reading beyond the first chapter of 'Blades of Eru' x_x) so you _might_ catch me online. Well, thanks for everyone's support! It's been a lot of fun hearing from you guys and I already can't wait to pick it back up again!**

**With sincerity,**

**Ring.**


	21. Chapter Nineteen:A Touching Kind Of Smug

**Wow. Hey everybody, how are you doing? Long time. No see. Alright, before we get on with this fic, you've got a LOOOONG A/N coming to you. It's been a pretty amazing month and a half for me, I'm not going to lie. I wrote a novel over the month of November. Yep. I caved and ended up completing National Novel Writing Month for the first time and within a thirty day period, I wrote an ORIGINAL 60,600 (exactly) word novel. It was an amazing experience. Doing it changed my life. It proved, actually, that I am capable of finishing something original. It proved I'm a competant person. It proved I can do something that people twice and three times my age are unable to do. It gave me a lot of confidence.**

**Now, of course, there's the aftermath. I haven't written anything for the last two weeks for two reasons: one because the burn out of NaNoWriMo is not enviable. Even typing this out gives me memories of icing my wrists because of NaNoWriMo. Two, it drains the inspiration. The inspiration for NaNoWriMo was completely forced. How else are you supposed to write 60,600 words in a flipping month? By grinding through the worst of writer's block. Three? I find it nex to impossible to write anything BESIDES the characters and setting of my novel--which takes place in Seattle. I looked back at some of my fanfiction a few days ago, intending to write more and get back to business and I was like '...crap.' Because my brain just froze trying to write about anything else. For a few days I seriously doubted if I was ever going to be able to write any fanfiction again (funny how before NaNoWriMo I doubted I would be able to write anything original).**

**So I took a few weeks off from writing, and I'm thinking I'm going to be able to get back to this. So, here goes. I have absolutely no sense of good writing after NaNoWriMo, so this is a complete hit-and-miss situation. I beg you for your own critique because I honestly can't remember how to write _well_ at this point xD. So, here goes. It's going to take me a little bit to get back into the swing of things--but hopefully we'll be back in action soon. Thanks so much for your patience, you guys!**

**-Ring**

Chapter Nineteen: A Touching Kind Of Smug

Cloud and Joel exited through a narrow door to the side where they entered a large, spacious kitchen. There were only two others inside—an older girl about 18, and a little Asian girl about seven. The seven-year-old was sobbing hysterically in a corner, short black hair caught in her fingers as she covered her face with her hands. The girl, slightly round with curly dark hair stood up when she noticed Joel and Cloud looking helpless and frustrated.

"Joel she's doing this _again_! If she doesn't get _something_ down her stomach she's gonna starve!" The girl moaned. She had a bowlful of applesauce in hand with a plastic red spoon laying, rejected, on the large countertop.

"Angie, meet Cloud. Cloud, meet Angie. Now, did you follow through with what we talked about?" Joel asked the frustrated young woman. She nodded.

"She won't let me get near her, let alone try and make her eat!" Cloud moved a safe distance away from the screaming girl, hiding her face. "Will you _please_ take her? I heard Jamie asking for me . . ."

"Yeah, go ahead. Here—gimme the applesauce." She handed it to him and fled from the room. Joel sighed and advanced on the girl. "Celia?" He asked gently. The girl didn't respond. "Celia, there's some tasty applesauce waiting for you." No response. He took another step towards her. Her little head snapped up, her hair in her face. Cloud squinted, trying to get a look at the young girl.

"Stop! Stop walking! I don't want it!" She said in a moment of anger before collapsing again into tears. Cloud watched, sincerely fascinated at the momentary vulnerability in Joel's green eyes and then at the cowering little girl. He wondered what had caused this child to be reduced to such a quivering mess. He decided he'd rather not know.

"Why don't you want it?" Joel asked. His tone surprised and comforted Cloud in a strange way. Joel asked the question, tenderly yes, but also . . . knowingly. Very knowingly. Almost, dare he say . . . _smugly_ in his knowingness about why the hell she didn't want her applesauce. A very touching smug. Cloud guessed Joel used that tone for emergency situations.

"It's . . . I . . . I don't want to eat it." Joel inched forward unhindered.

"Are you hungry?" His voice was kinder now.

". . . Yes. I am," she paused before whispering, "very."

"They're not here, Celia. Remember?" Slowly, a small face emerged from the black hair and she looked up.

Cloud felt an invisible anvil slam into his chest as the wind knocked out of him. Her face was scarred beyond the help any surgery could offer her. Her left eye was bandaged tightly. The right, a pretty brown, was filled with tears. Her nose was slashed down the middle and her lips were the only part of her face that was still fully intact.

"Doesn't it hurt you?" She whispered to Joel who stared her straight in the eye. "Doesn't it hurt you to look?" Incredulity in her voice as Joel, face hard, shook his head solemnly. As she began to cry again, Joel took a seat next to her, knees to his chest, and slung an arm around her.

"Here at home, Celia, we love you, and we think you are the most beautiful girl that's ever stepped down the front stairs of this whole place. _But_," his eyes twinkled again, "you're _more_ than just beautiful, you know. You're _important_, too. You've got some connections that our friend Cloud from AVALANCHE could use to find his friend."

"I-important connections?" She hiccupped. Joel grinned. Back in action.

"Yup. But the only thing is, is you have to eat this applesauce before telling us anything." The yellow mush vanished in seconds. Joel's smile grew wider. "Do you know a little girl named Marlene Wallace?" He asked.

The young girl paused. "What does she look like?" Joel got ready to answer, but instead waved Cloud over.

"Maybe he can tell you himself." Cloud looked nervously from Joel to Celia.

"Um . . . hi," he tried to smile. "Um, Marlene's about your age and height, kinda small, she's got long brown hair in a braid—usually—and has short bangs on hr forehead." Celia thought a moment.

"Who does she belong to?" She asked innocently. Cloud stiffened.

"Celia, I'll tell you again, okay? No person can _ever_ belong to another person, okay?" Joel told her carefully. Celia nodded and Cloud and Joel both knew she didn't believe it.

"She was traveling with three silver-haired men. One with really long silver hair and bangs, one with half-length hair, and one with short hair. Their eyes glow. They wear all black." Cloud finished.

"Glowing eyes?" Celia asked mystified, touching the bandage that enveloped her iris. "I haven't seen anyone with glowing eyes—or long silver hair. I'll tell you if I do. Oh!" She looked up in surprise. "I finished all my applesauce! Look, Joel!" She held the empty bowl proudly. "I'm gonna show Angie—she'll like that." Before Cloud could react, she was up on her feet and had sprinted past them both.

They sat for a moment in silence.

"What happened to her?" Cloud asked. Joel's face was stone.

"She got caught trying to run. Lorie, up there, was patrolling when she saw her on the streets. That night she came back for her but a few henchies had been alerted. She _had_ to bail, especially since they had been told to grab Lorie back too. She wasn't able to make it back with Celia the first time. Can't forgive herself for what they did to her face in response. The week after, Lorie, JD, Nicolai, and Sara were successfully able to get her out, but by that point, the damage had been done." Joel stood up and walked past the kitchen into a small, closet-sized room where Cloud recognized a communications panel. Joel grabbed one of the radios attached to a long, winding cord and spoke into it. "Home to Alleycat, I've got AVALANCHE with us. Will lead patrol respond?" He lifted his finger off the button and waited.

A burst of static erupted from the speaker beside him and a voice warbled in electricity spoke. "Alley-cat to Home, this is Daniel. Joel, you got AVALANCHE? What's up?"

"Cloud Strife's on a manhunt—or girlhunt I should say."

"For that Marlene Wallace person? Word's crawling all over the street. Remnants and a dark-haired little kid? A Turk back in Midgar's controlling their search party. I locked my radio system to theirs'. Whatever they know, I know. But no one's headed out here except the kid's father and the guy with you."

"Sounds like you've got some time on your hands. Slow day?"

"You could say that."

"Well change of plans. How many of you are out there?"

"Twenty-seven. Lex headed back 'cause of her headaches or we'd have twenty-eight." Cloud's mind reeled. This wasn't some child gang or even some kind of self-organized _foster_ home. This was a full-blown undercover _establishment_!

"It's enough. I want you guys to _scour_ Parlhun—got it? Look for anything and everything that might lead to the girl or her capturers. Pro. Got it?"

"Sendin' orders as we speak, Chief."

"Thanks, Daniel."

"Over and out."

'Roger." Joel turned to Cloud. "No offense, Soldier, but we can't risk you out there now that our people are involved. You can chill here for awhile, or, if it'll make you feel better, I can give you a radio and you can track with our people. But we can't have you out on the streets. We can't risk it when . . . certain _people_ find out we're helping you."

"I understand . . . you can be sure they'll be thorough?" Cloud asked. Joel smiled thinly, but amiably.

"Yeah. They're thorough. If you don't mind me saying, a lot more thorough than screaming 'does anyone know where Marlene is' at the top of your lungs in the middle of the street.

"Probably," Cloud consented. "It's just that I really . . ."

"I know. I uh . . ." he let his voice trail off and his eyes flicked away. Cloud studied this young man who only minutes ago had seemed so confident and full of life.

"What made you like this? What motivated you to start this little rescue team? What happened?" Cloud asked quietly. Joel looked at Cloud with his strange, lively green eyes before beginning to speak.

**XxXxXx**

**Please review! I promise I will start replying again! Thanks again so much for the support even when I wasn't updating!**


	22. Chapter Twenty: Dominick

**Yes, everyone, it has indeed been a year. A very long, life-ish year called Junior/Senior year of high school. Frankly, I'd completely understand if I lost 95 percent of all my alerted audience for not updating in a year...and I'm kinda sorry. I did have a lot going on, but I did push this fic quite to the side over the last twelve months. If you need/want to, go ahead and reread for the sake of keeping up with the story. Hehe, want to hear something kinda cool? I've got a ton of story on my computer that still has to be updated...it's really just a matter of editing and uploading. Who knows...maybe I'll have this thing finished by the New Year, before we're on to part three, of course.**

**Chapter Twenty: Dominick**

_"What made you like this?" Cloud asked quietly. Joel waited a moment before speaking._

"Back in Midgar, I have a younger sister." His voice was clear but his eyes betrayed him. "She's seven years old. Her name is Shar. Shar Stinton. I haven't seen her for almost four months. I haven't _talked_ with her for about a year. When I left. I was twenty-two."

"What's she like?" Cloud asked. A smile crossed Joel's face.

"Beautiful. She probably doesn't—or won't—remember me, but I love her." He waited. "She lives with my father. He's got some problems." The young man left it at that.

"Can't get her until she's legal?" Cloud guessed. Joel's face pitched into shadowy anguish.

"Not . . . really . . . um . . ." he glanced toward the door, and stepped out. Cloud followed. They entered another room that looked similar to an office. A desk, swivel chair, couch. Joel sat at the computer desk, grabbing at a pen and clicking it, repeatedly. Cloud swung the door shut and allowed himself a seat on the couch.

"As you were saying," Cloud reminded him. Joel blew a breath. Cloud shrugged.

"You had a good story going."

"Good story," he muttered. "Yeah...I've got a _good_ story. For the sake of a little background history, my father's . . . _habits_ sends, or at least _sent,_ him into blind rages. Until I was about 16, I was kicked around, to put it lightly."

"I'm sorry," Cloud said. Joel looked up.

"For _me_? Don't be!" He exclaimed. "I got out. I'm fine."

"What happened at 16? You fought back?" Cloud asked. Joel shook his head and hung it.

'No. That was . . . that was the year Shar was born. Dad got this girl, my age at the time, pregnant. She had no parents—she only had her pimp who would've killed her for keeping the baby. The day after she was born, her mom was back on the streets and guess who inherited her. Dad actually did pretty well while she was a baby. Drank less, went out less. It wasn't until Shar turned three that it started up again. I uh--" he rubbed a hand over his mouth.

Cloud wondered if he was making the right decision by letting him keep talking. If it was wrong, it was too late. Joel continued.

"I got a job at a store when I was 18. Dad lost it as soon as I made it. I started leaving Shar with friends more. Saving money, working, making sure she was home as little as possible. I was too old to get it from Dad, but I couldn't leave Shar with him. Years passed like that. One day, I was 22 and it was raining. I was walking home and I saw this guy, tall, young, holding an umbrella over his girlfriend. I caught a glance at his face and he was . . . happy. I knew the meaning of the word, but I had no idea how it felt. I understood clearly that I would never have it. At least not while I was in Midgar living with my Dad and trying to keep Shar alive. So I went home. I made Shar lunch and I told her where I was planning on going."

"You asked her to go with you?" Cloud asked absently, thumbing his chin.

"Asked her? I _begged_ her to come with me."

"What'd she do?"

"She started crying. Guess I scared her. She got up and grabbed her school backpack and ran to her room. I couldn't force her. But I was scared to death to leave her."

"You _did_ leave her alone," Cloud realized. "This place, all these people, they're distractions, aren't they? Why don't you go back for her?" Joel's face started out as a wry smile, one that was very different than the sincere spark that had infected his grin before, and he knew that this actually mattered. The wry smile, as the question hit him, changed slowly. To a look of accepting agony. Cloud watched with clear eyes.

"I'm scared," Joel whispered. "How could I have left her? What will she think of me if two years later I show up? How could I fix it?"

Cloud's mouth hung open limply as he heard Joel's voice echo his thoughts for the past two-and-a-half years. He had no comforting words or empathizing remarks. Just a warning. An ultimatum. A condemnation.

"You _will_ go back for your sister," Cloud said. Joel looked up.

"I don't think I can. You don't have any idea of how many times I've tried to."

"You _have_ to," Cloud said, a low chuckle wrenching from his throat.

"I don't think I can," Joel repeated. Cloud stared at him.

"In that case there's no hope for either of us."

**XxXxXx**

Barrett paused as he arrived at the dazzling spectacle that marked the end of the West Hampton Avenue. The building was a never-ending silver tower with lights that twinked in the windows marking each story. A professionally templated billboard boasted of '_Tripial Enterprises_'. Barrett snorted at the euphemism.

He strode up to the French doors, spun through them with one arm and entered a large marble lobby. Three countertops for appointments were in the center where blonde girls with dark glasses curtly answered phones and typed feverishly away at computer screens. Beyond them was blocked off by a belled boundary and the only way to pass was by going through the two metal detectors at each end of the open room. Each metal detector was guarded by two security guards complete with bulging biceps, too-tight tan slacks, stone faces, and large guns. None as large as Barret's, however. The rest of the lobby looked like a friendly place. Leather furniture was neatly arranged in one of the corners where a clear glass table lay in between littered neatly with computer and industry magazines. Stylishly formed vases with large, green leafy plants added a hint of surrealism to the modern building.

Barrett hesitated up and asking for Dominick. He realized that a man with this much power probably didn't like just anyone bugging him for business. But Barrett figured he wasn't just anybody. He walked up to one of the counters.

"Tripial Enterprises; do you have an appointment, Mr. Wallace?" The counter girl with the sunglasses asked. She was young and very professional-looking.

"If you know my name, you must know why I'm here. I need to speak to Dominick." The woman examined him through her shades and finally reached for the phone.

"Reginald, Mr. Dominick's got a guest," she said. There was pause. "Thank you." She hung up and turned to Barrett. "They'll escort you to his office." She gesticulated to the two security guards to the far right. "They might be a little . . . _aware_ of your prosthetic."

"Agreed. Might want to turn down the volume on your detector," he noted. She nodded.

"If you'll follow me, Mr. Wallace," the guard said congenially—almost. Barrett nodded as they passed through the gate unhindered and walked up the elevator. Within a few moments they were being carried up to the big office. There was a series of long halls, at the head there was a large door with the golden plaque enscribed with simply 'Dominick'. "Here's your stop. I'd advise knocking first," he said, and walked away.

Barrett let himself in without knocking.

"Mr. Wallace! I'm Dominick—just Dominick to an esteemed man such as yourself. It's an honor to meet with you! Please! Sit down! Can I get you coffee and perhaps some refreshments?"

Barrett blinked. The person in the large office chair sitting at an organized mahogany desk was just a kid! Was this boy, no older than 24, with bright eyes and an expectant smile, the infamous Dominick he'd heard so much about on the streets?

"No," Barrett said carefully. "I'm just looking for some information." Dominick raised his eyebrows. He head a slim, tall frame, even seated, with a narrow handsome face, a tussled head of slightly waved amber hair hidden mostly by the black top hat firmly set on his head, tilted at a provocative angle. He wore a black business suit, black over shirt, tuxedo style, and to Barret's interest, white-fingered gloves, his hands looking deliberate and elegant. The boy was a dramatic. A gentle-manly dramatic. And Barrett wasn't fooled for one minute.

"Ooh, information. Mr. Wallace, I am a business man. And my business as of late, has had a very high source of competition. One of the ways I keep in the lead, you might say, is by being very careful on who I give my information to and _why_."

"Business man," Barrett snorted. "In the words of a young woman I talked to earlier, you're 'the fucking mob'. I'm not here to talk about your competition, kid. I'm here for my daughter, Marlene. In case you haven't heard, she's gone. And I'm not happy about this. I _want_ any and all information you might have."

"Please, Mr. Wallace," Dominick said smoothly. "I greatly respect you and your position in AVALANCHE. I'm more than willing to keep an eye out for your little daughter . . . perhaps in exchange for a favor or two," Dominick smiled tightly.

"You disgust me. Continue."

"_Well_," Dominick sighed. "As of late, several of my . . . _employees_ have been quitting on me lately. _Without_ dropping me their two-week notice. Now I'm a friendly kind of boss, and I like to keep track of my workers. But I haven't been able to locate them. They've simply disappeared into thin air. Now what would be nice is if I could get some professional help in locating my missing employees and telling me where it is they've been running to."

Barrett's mind was way ahead of Dominick's, already determining that he would never turn in any poor souls still able to escape the first time. But he played the desperate father he still was.

"So I find your druggies, weapon dealers, and prostitutes, and you tell me what you know about Marlene?" Barrett asked doubtfully. Dominick chuckled.

"Oh let's not do this now, Mr. Wallace. I can look for some info in advance if you'd like—right now, even." He picked up a phone, dialed a four-digit number, and spoke. "Selene, this is Dominick. Could you send me up . . . oh what's her name . . . short, blonde hair, new girl . . . Kylee, that's right—Kylee. Thanks, darling. You're wonderful. Nah, she doesn't need to change—just send her up. Thanks again." He hung up and smiled. "Help is on the way."

Within minutes there was a small knock on the door. "Come on in Kylee, sweetheart." Dominick called, absently looking over some paperwork. Slowly the door opened and a small girl about eight or nine with curly blonde hair stepped inside. She was wearing a pink t-shirt, green shorts, and a headband with bright pink bunny ears attached. Barret's stomach twisted inside when he saw her.

"Um, hi," the girl said, obviously intimidated by the formal office setting. She twisted her hands at her sides. "Selene said you wanted to see me . . ."

"Of course I did, kiddo!" Dominick said, flashing a smile at her. She smiled back and relaxed a bit. "Kylee, this is Barrett Wallace, Barrett Wallace, this is Kylee."

"Just Kylee? No last name?" Barrett asked in an even enough voice so the girl wouldn't get scared, but pointed enough at Dominick who understood the challenge.

"Trivials," Dominick said with a wave of a white-gloved hand. "So Kylee, Barret's looking for his daughter, Marlene. You wouldn't have happened to see her earlier this morning, would you? She's got dark hair in a braid with bangs . . . she's about your age, maybe a little younger and might've been traveling with three silver-haired men . . .?"

"I don't think I've seen anyone like that," the girl said after taking a moment to think, "but I can watch out for her if you want."

"Good girl," Dominick said, smiling sweetly. And Barrett realized that it was all just a game to him. He was the child and they were the toys. Great fun. "Selene's gonna give you a radio—if you seen anyone who might look like that, tell her right away, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

"Alright, pudding, you're free to go. Buh-bye now."

"B-bye," she said with a hesitated wave, exiting as awkwardly as she had entered. Dominick chuckled.

"I love kids," he smiled a genuine smile, before turning to Barrett. "So, we have a deal? You bust the little runaway hideout and I give you info."

"This is sick," Barrett said with a sneer, "I'd rather kick your ass back to Midgar and do it painfully than help you." A speck of something like cold glinted in Dominick's eyes.

"_I_ think you'd rather find your daughter," he decided. Barrett stood up.

"You can rest knowing that as soon as I know Marlene is safe, I'm coming after you, Mr. Dominick. One way or another, you're going down."

"You can count on me looking forward to the challenge, Mr. Wallace. I'll be ready. Good luck on finding your daughter, Mr. Wallace." Barrett walked away without another word.

**XxXxXx**

Night approached in Midgar. Tifa and Reno returned wearily to a gloomy Seventh Heaven after a long day searching the city after sending out the troops. Tifa began to get a dinner ready, but Reno quickly stopped her, flipping out his cell phone and ordering two large Hawaiian pizzas, Tifa's favorite, he remembered, from the last get-together they all had.

Around ten at night, the doorbell sang. "Pizza!" Chirped a female voice. Tifa opened the door to see an eager-faced Yuffie, balancing their steaming pizza boxes in one hand, and taking care of their balance to the pizza guy in the other. Tifa gasped in surprise at seeing her friend, and hugging her awkwardly while transferring the boxes to the table.

"Reno and Tifa, I want details this very instant!" Yuffie demanded, jabbing a lethal pointer-finger at the pair. "How did this happen? What happened to the remnants? What's our plan of attack?!" She yelled before turning to Reno. "You owe me 24.67," she said. Reno and Tifa blinked.

"Yuffie, could you just . . . _chill_ a second?" Please?" Reno begged. Yuffie glared at him.

"I don't _think_ so, Turk. I think I deserve to know what's going on. Me and Marlene, we're like this." She crossed her middle and pointer fingers for effect. "And if anything's happened to my girl, so help me I'm gonna tear this city _apart_ to find her."

"Fair enough," Reno mused. "At least give Tifa a chance to sit down and eat," he remarked. Tifa looked pale and tired, running on fumes all day and going without eating or drinking had drained her. Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"Well then _you_ can enlighten me, O prince-in-shining-armor." Tifa sank into one of the chairs at the table where Reno and Yuffie were and hastily reached for a large slice of pineapple heaven. Reno consented, filling in Yuffie on the days events which took a lot longer than it should have with Yuffie declaring her drastic points of view regarding different events. Tifa's eyes welled with tears a few times as Reno described the stats of Marlene's disappearance, but didn't cry—thankfully. Sharing tears with Yuffie wasn't an issue—they'd bawled each other's eyes out together many a time before, but crying in front of Reno, her worthy competition and equal, would've been plain humiliating.

When all was explained and the pizza was mostly finished off and they sat quietly at the table, waiting, it was nearly midnight and Reno and Tifa were both exhausted from the long day. Tifa turned to Yuffie and Reno.

"You're welcome to stay for the night. The guest room's been available ever since Denzel moved out and Cloud's room isn't being used," she said. Reno rubbed his tired face.

"I think it'd be in my better interest to take the guest room," Reno said. "Thanks, Tifa." He nodded gratefully. It'd be a terrible hassle to have to drive all the way back to his condo (especially considering he didn't have his car with him) aside from the fact he probably wouldn't be able to keep his eyes open for the ride . . . bah. He wasn't making any sense. Case in point, Reno was grateful to Tifa for the offer.

"Sounds good," Yuffie said, yawning. "Shouldn't we take some sort of shifts for listening to the radio?" She asked. Tifa's face fell. She was right, of course.

"I'll take the first shift," Reno put in immediately. "You two go get some sleep." It was worth the relief on Tifa's face.

"Thanks, Reno," she said, offering him a tired smile. "Wake me up when it's my turn, okay?" She asked.

"Sure," Reno lied, knowing at once he would do no such thing.

"Alright, I'm gonna hit the sack, y'guys," Yuffie yawned. Tifa threw a glance upstairs, wondering how she was supposed to sleep without Marlene in the room next to hers or safely across the street at Barret's.

"Alright. G'night Yuffie, Reno," she said hesitantly, heading up stairs.

"Good night, Tifa," Reno said, smiling softly. And once she was upstairs he shook his head at himself and reached for the mug of coffee that Tifa had provided earlier, which had grown cold in the hours. He took a long swig of it and braced himself to stay awake. This was gonna be a long night.

**XxXxXx**

**Can't say I honestly know the next time I'll be updating, but I _am_ working on updating. I love you readers, you. Especially when you review. ;D**


	23. Chapter Twenty One: Histories

**Hello again, readers, if any exist after like 14 months of not updating xD. I missed you and this story dearly and I'm quite glad I finally got the gumption to revisit the folder in my computer labeled 'Temples Of Gold' that growled at me menacingly every time I did NOT click on it. The last 14 months have been full of finishing high school, work, and otherwise useless grown up things. No excuse, I know I know. I'm gonna make a concerted effort to finishing this little bugger up so I can move on to the next =]**

**Quick Recap for Old Readers: After a series of dramatic events, Marlene ran away with Kadaj to live with him, Loz, and Yazoo in their glorified tree house on the outskirts of Midgar. Meanwhile, AVALANCHE and ShinRa have gone ape-crazy trying to find her. Tifa, Reno, and Yuffie have stayed in Midgar, manning ShinRa-funded search parties to look through the city. Barret and Cloud are searching four of the surrounding cities. **

**They are in the first, Parlhoun, and while Barret has been brought into contact with Dominick, a prosperous young man with several illegal underground businesses, Cloud has found a private organization of young people, led by a man named Joel, taking secret refuge in the basement of Dominick's building, dedicated to get him out of power and rescue the youths still under his influence. Dominick has offered his resources to help find Marlene if Barret and Cloud give him information on the organization. Thankfully, Joel beat him to it and already has his own parties looking for her.**

**Without further ado:**

Chapter Twenty One: Histories

As Cloud lay stiffly on the army-reminiscent bunk in the underground couldn't sleep that night. He'd gotten the call hours ago from Barrett and heard about Dominick's proposition. God. He really expected them to sell out the only hope this city had. But it was Marlene. He scrubbed at his forehead and the heavy sigh that escaped from his lips betrayed how exhausted he really was. Priorities milked his brain and all at once he felt the close-quartered bunks close in on him. The air got thicker and the days' events from his despaired conversation with Reno to the continuous, terrible knowledge that Marlene was missing screamed in his head and trembled in his gut. It must've been one or two in the morning. He pushed himself out of bed and quietly padded out of the room he'd been placed in.

He needed some fresh air. Everyone was fast asleep, and it was utterly silent. No snoring, rustled breathing, or even shifting. Good Lord these kids even _slept_ quietly. The lights were out, but an hour and a half of lying awake had adjusted his vision to the dark. Once he got out of this impossibly long line of bedrooms, he'd enter the big front room they called The Lounge. If you kept going straight you'd run into the kitchen, then just beyond that was Joel's office, and beyond that was back exit onto the alley three blocks down from the official entrance. This was the back exit Cloud was heading toward.

Quietly passing Joel's office, he reached the upper door and took the lever on the side of the wall, and yanked. The door responded without noise or delay.

A winter breeze drifted through the hall as Cloud pulled himself outside and closed the lever behind him, facing a dingy, nondescript alleyway. A very inconspicuous, clever exit.

_"Cloud,_" a wisp of black smoke whispered. He rolled his eyes angrily. _Not again_. Cloud waved it away, forcing himself to disregard the fact that for the past two days black smoke had been following him around, calling him by name. Because things like that don't happen. They especially don't happen in the time of your most mental of crises. "_Cloud_." The blonde sighed and gave up. He was losing his mind.

He took a breath of fresh, cool air and stared at the neon-light night. Parlhun thrived in flashes of pink and green and red and purple when this twisted new rainbow could be seen. No stars graced against the foggy blear. It smelled like a city should smell, Cloud supposed as took a seat on the curb, his elbows resting on his knee.

"You too, huh?" A female voice asked. Cloud turned to see the girl he'd been introduced to earlier—Lorie Holloway—take a seat next to him.

"Sorry," Cloud said in surprise, "I didn't realize that anyone else was out here. I couldn't sleep so I just…" The girl nodded in understanding.

"Any luck finding your friend?" She asked, quite nicely, looking over at him with clean eyes and skin. Cloud turned his head to square her.

"No." He replied. The teenager chewed his lips.

"I'm sorry. A couple of my friends are missing, too. It's hard," she said quietly. Cloud's heart was heavy and he nodded.

"Yeah," he sighed, blue eyes hurt and weary. They were both quiet.

"Where do you think she is?" Lorie asked finally.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "But I pray to God she's not here," he said. "The little set-up you've got going here is the only good thing I've seen in this city all day." Lorie smiled softly with pink, content lips.

"We make out okay," she agreed. Cloud glanced at her.

"Have you been here long?" He asked. Lorie's green eyes grew thoughtful.

"I suppose so." Cloud immediately decided he wasn't going to press, but to his surprise, she took a breath and continued speaking.

"As you've probably figured, a lot of the kids here have worked for Dominick in the past. I was one of them." Cloud listened intently. "When my parents both died, I was only eleven-years-old. No other relatives, absolutely _no _where to go. Well, I was only homeless for two days before Dominick picked me up. He was a sweet, funny guy and within an hour, my tweenage self was desperately in love. He gave me a place to stay, some food to eat…well, stuff happened, and before long he had me working the streets." Lorie glanced up Cloud, whose face was serious and unchanging.

"Anyway," she said, crossing her arms over her knees. "I could tell you stories, but I guess you get the picture. One day, when I was 14, I was on 1st Avenue, when I saw this man pull up in his beat up Oldsmobile. He rolled down his window and the first thing I saw were bright green eyes…"

She smiled at the memory and Cloud sensed the girl's happiness. "It was Joel, of course, but I didn't know that then. He asked me if I wanted a ride. I agreed and hopped in. He asked me where I needed to go. I…I said that it didn't matter, and so once he stopped the car, I tried to pull a move on him."

Cloud noticed a pull in her voice, but her eyes were shining. "And do you know what he said? He said '_What are you __**doing**__, girl?'_ His voice was so shocked and…disturbed. I started to cry…like, really cry." She admitted.

"What did Joel do?" He asked. Lorie smiled a long, pink smile.

"Drove around the city and waited until I stopped," she replied. "And then he started talking…about gummy worms," she giggled. "He started talking about his favorite color gummy worms and then it turned into M&Ms, and Skittles…just _rambling_ on and on about anything and everything random…and once I was able to talk, I answered him more and more. We talked for hours on one tank of gas. By the time we got back to the spot he'd originally seen me, it was almost dark and we'd covered everything from our favorite rock bands to our theories on the latest ShinRa projects. I told him my name, he told me his, and he gave me his number. He told me right before I left that if I ever really needed _help_, to go find him and he'd help me. And I believed him. Best decision I ever made in my life."

"When did you finally decide to go with him?" Cloud asked. Lorie arched her eyebrows.

"Only about three weeks later, actually," she said. "I was at a hotel with a guy and he started to get violent. Really violent." Lorie shuddered and shook her head. "Once he was asleep, my usual cue to take the cash and go, I wasn't able to move well. So I snatched his phone and crawled to the bathroom, dialing Dominick and explaining my situation. Now Dominick can be a sweetheart if you suck up to him well enough, so I thought I had a fair chance of getting some support from him. But he was out of town. I was in trouble. If the hotel people found me like that, they'd call the police and I'd have it in from Dominick when he came back."

"So you called Joel?" Cloud guessed hopefully. Lorie nodded grimly.

"He came up with the big plan. If I could just get out of the building's front entrance, he could grab me and go. He had answered on the first ring and was ready to help. The hard part was getting downstairs, though. I was bleeding and it hurt my hips to walk."

Cloud could hardly look at this little, green-eyed girl with tied back blonde hair and a selfless smile and tie the face to the story.

"I managed to stumble to the elevator, and when the counter people were distracted, I drug myself outside and collapsed right on the sidewalk. 30 seconds later, Joel was there, carrying me to his car. I passed out, woke up in the apartment he'd been renting in his own bed to him telling me that yes, my hip had been dislocated, yes, it had to be put back into place, yes, it was going to hurt, and yes, it had to be done right then and there." Cloud's eyes widened.

Lorie managed a chortle. "Now _that_ was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. And I know pain. Right after, he apologized, and offered me eggs and toast. We've been best friends ever since," she ended with a pleased smile. Cloud was incredulous.

"So _you_ were the first, huh?" Cloud asked. Lorie nodded.

"Yup. Then JD. I met him a few weeks later. He was a muscle-in-training for Monty—a weapons dealer around here. He was a good guy and helped me spring Owen, one of my best friends when I was back with Dominick. We all migrated into Joel's tiny apartment. That's when Corynn came to stay with us and suggested this place. Right under the big operations, but inconspicuous, and abandoned. We established it 'Home' and only weeks later, _we_ became the operation." She paused and a small smile slid to her lips. "Any questions?" She asked wryly. Cloud grunted a laugh and slapped his knees before looking back up at her.

"Well," he said evenly, "I feel a little better about my life, now."

Lorie gave him a crooked little knowing smile beneath a raised eyebrow. "Really?" She asked.

"No," Cloud admitted. "How'd you know?"

"I live in the core of Parlhun. I've learned to read people pretty well."

"Ah…I'm not getting away with silence, am I?"

"Nope," Lorie grinned. Cloud grinned.

"Alright, where do I start?" He asked. Lorie shrugged and looked at him expectantly. "Um, well, I grew up in Nibelhelm, not too much happened until I was a teenager when I decided to become a SOLDIER. Tifa didn't want me to, we were just kids at the time, but it was something I apparently really wanted to do. So I packed my bags and left."

"Headstrong fellow," she mused. "Go on."

"SOLDIER-in-training was when I met Zach, and…uh, Aeris. You probably know the rest of the story, right?" Lorie shrugged. "Well, Zach was sent to stop the whole Genesis thing, blah, blah, blah…and I went with him. He was…a, um, my _hero_," Cloud mumbled. "When he died, it was…"

"Devastating," Lorie said softly, staring ahead.

"Yeah," he said abruptly. "Yeah…"

After a moment or two, Lorie broke the silence once more.

"What about Aeris?" Lorie asked. Without fail, the name stung his heart.

"She…passed away, too."

"I know," Lorie said simply.

"She's gone," he said.

"No, she's not," Lorie replied evenly.

"She sent back The Remnants."

"Apparently," Lorie agreed.

"And they took Marlene, and it's a big…rotting…mess."

"Sucks to be you," Lorie sighed dolefully.

"And she might be—wait a second!" Cloud said accusingly, catching the patronizing tone. "Don't…mock me," he mumbled. And in spite of it all, they both laughed.

"Hey, you know what? You _will_ be stronger than the story. You might hate me, but life happens and _that's_ why we're strong. Your friends were killed, my friends, are slaves to the industry…one could potentially gather that the entire meaning of life is suffering! No, we're not _really_ supposed to move on, but we should move _beyond_. Make it worthwhile…you know? Progression is the _only_ reason I'm still alive now!" Her voice was sweet and expectant.

"It's not that _simple_ though!" Cloud struggled for words and thoughts and concepts. "People like you and I see things in life and we survive things but that doesn't mean that we're actually strong enough to _live_ through them. I've walked around the last year a breathing shadow because there's no one that can really _change_ what's been done and what's happening. Maybe you're different. Maybe it's because you've survived everything this city has thrown at you."

"And the last thing it's been is easy, Cloud," she said deliberately. "And I wasn't strong before. But I'm strong now. And you are too. I promise you."

"I'm sensitive," Cloud whined. "Today I told someone that I was going to kill myself." Lorie sighed.

"What a waste," she said, shaking her head. "So is _that_ what you're gonna do if the worst happens? Whatever the worst _is_."

"I've been trying to avoid thinking about it, kindly," Cloud said stiffly.

"Yeah? Well, it's almost _been_ 24 hours and you haven't found her. Maybe you _should _start thinking about it. Do you _want_ to live in denial?"

"I'd love to!" Cloud exclaimed, as serious as ever. Lorie rolled her eyes and fell silent. "Look—this is what not-denial looks like: you _can't_ win against the city. They outnumber you and outpower you. They have guns and they have dealers and pimps and evil on their side and you have a hundred kids hiding in the basement with a _lot_ of good intentions. Why _do_ you go on?" Lorie thought a moment.

"Because I believe that we are worth it. I believe we are more than battered minds and unhealed injuries and wasted money. I believe that…we're the only ones out here that are willing to put pure hope into raw action. And I also believe it's the only chance this city's children has." She finished quietly, with a small smile. "Much like _you_ believe Marlene is worth the single-handed search of four cities to find, I suppose."

Cloud looked up at her. "I suppose." And he offered her a half smile in the night, his blue eyes clear as they sat side by side.

After a moment or two, Lorie checked the small black watch hanging around her wrist. "Oh my," she muttered softly, before looking back at Cloud. "It's almost 2. I should probably get some sleep. We're hitting the streets early to try and find her." She stood up and although Cloud wasn't planning on going back inside, he stood too.

"Will I see you and the rest of the team before you head out tomorrow?" He asked.

"We'll have to see," she said, an easy grin lighting her face open for no good reason. "Good night, Cloud," she said.

"Wait," Cloud said hurriedly as she turned for the door, "I don't think I had a chance to thank you-for doing all this for us. It means…it means _everything_. Thank you." His heart was pounding because overwhelming gratitude threatened to split it open.

She paused by the door a moment with a tilt of her head. "Absolutely…Goodnight, Cloud."

And she stepped inside and shut the door, leaving Cloud standing alone in the night with a sense of destiny growing in him.

**XxXxXx**

"Hey, Marlene, Kadaj, lunch is ready!" Loz announced the next day as Marlene and Kadaj sat on the couch, thoroughly enjoying a Disney movie that was playing on TV.

"Alright," Kadaj answered, stretching and getting up. "I'll go get Yazoo." Marlene switched off the television and meandered over to the table where Loz was busily setting up the table with sandwich foods, buffet style along with plates and cups.

"I'm starving, Loz," Yazoo yawned, flipping his big braid of silver hair (courtesy of none other than Marlene Wallace) over his shoulder.

"Good—'cause lunch has arrived. Ladies first!" he chirped and Marlene obliged in making herself a sandwich.

"No tomatoes, Loz?" Kadaj pouted. "I love tomatoes!"

"I didn't cut any, but there _are_ some in the refrigerator, if you'd like some."

"Alright," Kadaj agreed. Quickly locating a cutting board, knife, and the juicy red fruit, he set to work on slicing them.

"Thank you for lunch, Loz," Marlene said. "Maybe I could help you tomorrow or for dinner. I'd really like that," she said. Loz smiled.

"I'd like that too, Marlene."

Kadaj smiled to himself as he remembered the very first time Loz had met Marlene—specifically _after_ they had died the first time. He had been a timid thing, unsure of what to think of the pretty little girl who'd wanted to help them. Now Loz had become the ultimate older brother and best friend to little Marlene. A cool pain stitched through his finger. Kadaj stiffened and yanked the paring knife away from his fingers. A line of blood traced its way down his left pointer finger. He had cut himself for the _second_ time in two days! How could he be so clumsy?

It was then that his flowing blood began to dissolve into black. Black mist. Just like yesterday. Kadaj's eyes widened. He didn't like the idea of _that_ being inside him. He swiftly turned around and rammed the faucet knob on the sink upward. As cold water flowed over the small skin wound, the mist turned blacker and happily _absorbed_ some of the liquid. The mist became denser and as Kadaj's fingers brushed it, it had a liquid texture. Kadaj jerked away.

"Kadaj, are you alright? What is _that_?" Marlene asked curiously.

"Um, nothing," Kadaj said carefully, still watching the stuff. As he turned off the water, the mist stopped growing. It shifted and danced in front of him, about the dimension of Kadaj's own hand. "Maybe if I open a window…" Kadaj began, opening the window above the sink. The mist darted through it immediately as if it was a bird fleeing a cage.

"That's rather…odd," Yazoo noted. "I wonder how it got there." He remarked.

Kadaj inconspicuously wrapped his right hand around his bleeding pointer finger, in an attempt to stop the flow. Neither Loz, Yazoo, or Marlene, had seen him cut his finger, and he'd rather not have them know that the black was coming from his blood. It had taken a ridiculously long time to stop the bleeding yesterday—something that had never happened before. Maybe it was strange side-effect his healing powers had given him.

As if on cue, the wound began to close as he focused his energies on himself. There. Done. He finished slicing the tomato, sat down to eat, and tried not to think about the sticky black mist.

**XxXxXx**

**Reviews are cool. Don't you want to be cool? xD**


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